You Must Believe in Spring
by Giada Luna
Summary: Generations after the Fourth Shinobi War, peace is maintained between nations by the publicly recognized Allied Shinobi Force, and in secret by the ANBU division. A mysterious threat targeting advanced shinobi thrusts Dr. Sakura Haruno into a world of intrigue, secrets, and back in the life of one Sasuke Uchiha, five years after he walked out of hers. See profile for pairings.
1. Chapter 1: Rain Must Fall

A/N: I own nothing. That is why it is called fanfiction. If I owned it, it would just be fiction, and I would be paid.

**You Must Believe in Spring**

**Chapter One: Rain must fall**

Rain pelted against the thick glass as the thunder boomed outside of the penthouse. The storm had come suddenly and fiercely, spiraling out of an atmospheric anomaly and erasing what had been a cloudless, spring day.

He was grateful.

He much preferred the torrential harsh power of the thunderstorm to the cloyingly perfect weather that it replaced. It reminded him too much of another time and another place with her. He leaned his forehead against the cold glass, and felt the tiny reverberations of the thunder against his skin. It had been a long time. But it hadn't been long enough for him to forget. He doubted that he would live long enough to forget. Then again, in his line of work, he probably wouldn't live long enough to do a fair number of things.

He leaned his shoulder against the side of the window and crossed well-muscled arms against a smooth and taut chest. Closing his eyes for just a fraction of a second, he slowed his breathing and let the storm overtake his senses.

Laughter echoed in the depths of his memory.

"_Hurry!" the voice danced in his ears, "Or you'll be soaked!" A small hand grabbed his wrist with surprising force and hauled him behind her. "Might as well warm up," she sighed pulling him into the tiny bohemian bistro and waved to the girl behind the counter. Before he could protest, they were seated in front of a fire eating tomato soup with grilled cheese. "Not gourmet," she tilted her head and smiled at him, "but it'll get the job done." He had smirked and nodded while she laughed. That was how they always were – he was quiet and dark; she was laughter and light. _

His eyes snapped open as lighting struck close and the air pulsated with energy from the storm. He bit off a silent curse at himself as he shoved away from the window. There was no use remembering these kinds of things. They were done. She was gone.

He padded across the floor of the dark room and made his way back into the main partition of the suite. He had work to do. Before he could cross the threshold, a blinding flash of lighting was followed almost instantaneously with a sonic boom of thunder and the tell-tale popping shower of sparks that meant a blown transformer. The few lights that had been on flickered out noiselessly. He heaved a sigh. The generator would kick in soon enough. He went back to his room – it was the closest one with candles and matches. Not that he needed that to see; his eyes could pierce the dark.

He peered into the top drawer, only half minding his task. His concentration was slipping away again.

He stopped and closed his eyes and forced himself to take a few meditative breaths. This was nothing. He was just tired from traveling so much in so short of a time. He had pushed himself too hard in his training today, and the fatigue allowed his mind to wander. He could control this. This was nothing.

His eyes snapped open. Where the hell was the generator? Part of the reason to bother living in a penthouse was to not have to deal with this kind of shit. Never mind owning the damned building.

The sound of a mobile phone vibrating against a bedside table broke his concentration. He snatched it up and answered with a terse "Hai."

"Sorry, Mr. Uchiha. That last strike overpowered the generator and the backup. We'll get it up and running as soon as possible."

"Ah." And he hung up.

Seconds later the phone vibrated again with a different pattern and the screen glowed a bright blue. He grimaced before picking up.

"I take it your report will be delayed?" the voice on the other end drawled.

"It will be in as promised."

"The networks are down with this storm," the man continued easily. It will take our guys some time to restore a secure enough connection to support the encrypted files. Don't power on your laptop until we are done. There have been some pretty sophisticated hacking attempts in the last 48 hours. Go dark until you hear from me."

"Ah."

"Always one for conversation," he muttered. "Be at the center for briefing by 7:00 AM sharp.

"Hn." He half smirked and half snorted before adding "And what time will you be there?"

"I can't imagine what you mean," the voice said innocently before disconnecting.

Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and middle finger, Sasuke Uchiha tried not to sigh. 7:00 sharp meant 7:30 or 8:00 to Kakashi – yet he knew better than to be late. He glanced at the phone in his hand. 9:45 PM. He couldn't do the work he wanted to do, now. "Tch," the derisive sound echoed in the large room. Mentally, he ticked through his options.

He'd already worked out and showered and eaten.

He wasn't going out in this storm.

It was too early to go to bed.

He looked up at the ceiling and blew out a sigh as the lighting and thunder crashed again. His sharp eyes slid over to the corner, noting the tiniest bounce-back of light. He stared into the darkness for a moment, his whole body and mind still as he willed the memory not to surface. Numbly he made his way over and reached out, tracing his finger over the shiny black pick guard that had reflected the light. Another memory floated up:

"_I can't believe you have to learn to play that thing, teme!" Naruto had laughed between bites of ramen. _

"_Urusai, baka" he had spat out between clenched teeth as he watched the video again, Sharingan activated. "I wouldn't have to do this if someone hadn't insisted that we take a mission posing as members of a band." _

_Naruto shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time," he grinned. "Just think of it as another reason for the girls to fall all over you," he continued, knowing he was pressing his luck. "If you want to go unnoticed, you should've picked the bass or drums." _

Sasuke had glared at him fiercely, but the blonde remained unaffected, much as he did with anything their lives had thrown at them. Whatever he could say about the idiot, he couldn't question his loyalty. Somehow he managed to annoy the Uchiha into trusting him above anyone.

He shook his head at the recollection. His photographic memory and ability to mimic damned near anything had led to some surprising assignment related training in his day, but this was perhaps the most out of character. In the end, the guitar had been a gift from Naruto for surviving the mission without being attacked by fan girls or by the assassin they were tailing. He hadn't touched it for years.

Perhaps it was because he had been thinking of her. Perhaps it was because he didn't want to be thinking of her. He needed to forget. He needed to let go. He couldn't stop his hand from reaching out slowly, and picking up the guitar.

He drew the guitar upward, and eyed it for a moment before looping the strap around his shoulder and perching on the edge of his bed. Even as the strings bit into his fingertips - long since uncalloused and unpracticed– he savored the feeling of their vibrations under his fingers. He was out of practice, but the muscle memory was there. He would never admit it to anyone, but he loved the way the strings pulsed and seemed to connect him with the instrument. It was as if his whole body was involved in drawing out the melodies from the long-silent past. As the vibrations emanated from the body of the instrument though his chest, he could pretend that he wasn't empty inside. He could pretend there was still something there to resonate inside of him. For tonight he would play. Tomorrow he would forget. Even now, he could almost forget how she loved to hear him play; how she would hum softly to the tune; how he hoped she could hear what he couldn't say with words. How green eyes could go dark and heavy and pull at the very core of him

Abruptly he stopped and stood as if burned. He strode across the room and roughly replaced the instrument on the stand before striding out to re-check the locks and rake his hands through his hair.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

After the ominous 'click' that told him that Mr. Uchiha was no longer on the line, the night watchman sweat dropped. It had been bad enough to have to call the owner of the building on a good day, much less with that kind of news. His partner grinned at him idiotically, having narrowly missed the same fate by choosing Rock over Scissors. "You never learn," he taunted the poor soul. "I ALWAYS win at Janken!"

The unfortunate guard sighed miserably. He only hoped that his shift was over before the man himself came down to check out the situation.

"Look at it this way," the Janken champ said, "It could be worse. We could be the guy over at the Hyūga building. Both men shuddered and agreed they didn't have it as bad as that guy – whoever he was.

"I need a drink," the poor man sighed. "Or at the very least, a snack. See you in a minute," he muttered as he strode off to the vending area. Once he was out of sight, the Janken master turned his attention back to the screens. He pushed his rent-a-cop badge to activate the microphone.

"What is the real story with those generators," he asked quietly.

"The penthouse back-up can be up within the hour," the voice came back in his ear. "What a troublesome way to spend the evening."

"Tell me about it," he flicked a cigarette out of his pack.

"You can't smoke on duty, Asuma," the voice came back dryly.

"How did you -… never mind," he sighed.

"Civilian headed back your way. Don't worry; I won't tell Kurenai."

Asuma didn't have time to retort as the civilian night watchman was still coming. "And by the way," the voice in his ear said, "the guy at the Hyūga place definitely had it worse."

* * *

The storm showed no signs of letting up. Hyūga Hiashi flicked his eyes out of the large window and then back to his paperwork with little interest. He had several things to finish before he could rest this evening. The Hyūga family owned one of the two largest medical research corporations in the allied shinobi nations. The only company that could rival it was Uchiha Industries, headed up by the enigmatic Uchiha Sasuke. Hiashi paused as he thought about the young man. He was the age of his elder daughter, Hinata – that would make him in his mid-twenties. He sat back, his elbows on the arm rests of his chair, rolling a pen between the first three fingers of both hands.

A photo on his desk caught his eye. There, a kind looking woman with shining dark hair held a bundle of a baby, and a small girl looked shyly to the camera between the woman and himself. He reached for the frame, absently and traced a finger over the woman. It had been a long time since her illness had taken her from their lives. His finger traced to the small girl in the middle. She was so like the woman in the picture. She was so like her mother. Hiashi frowned slightly. He was not an unkind man, but he was the leader of his clan and his business. He did not have the luxury of weakness or indecision. He knew his elder daughter did not have the disposition to lead in a cutthroat business world. She was far too kind and gentle, and would be bullied and shut out before she even began. No. The business would go to Hanabi when the time came. That wasn't to say that Hinata wasn't an heiress in her own right. She ran the house for him, as she would for her sister. Unless she were to marry.

Marry.

At that thought, Hiashi steepled his fingers under his nose and looked beyond the books and documents splayed across his desk.

"_It would make sense, you know," he had insisted._

"_It doesn't make sense," she shook her head vehemently. "Just because the Uchiha have a son the age of our daughter, doesn't mean that we should try to marry them off!" Her gaze softened as she looked to her husband. "You are worried about her, aren't you," she stated rather than asked._

"_That, too," he grumbled. "The company can't be divided, and Hinata doesn't have the personality to lead. She does have the ability to support, though. Imagine what that could mean for the families if our companies combined."_

_His wife smiled gently. "Imagine what that could mean for your daughter if she was forced to do something only for her family's company. She deserves better than that, Hiashi."_

"_She could have everything," he huffed. "I want to see her safe."_

"_Love isn't always safe," his wife had ventured. "And it is far more worth pursuing."_

_Hiashi frowned. Somehow the idea of arranging a distant business-transaction-related marriage for his elder daughter was easier to fathom than her falling in love. Mostly, this was because the son that was her age was not the elder son. The first born would inherit the company – Itachi, was it? – the younger, Sasuke would have a comfortable living without requiring his wife to be in the public eye as much. It made perfect sense to the protective father._

"_Promise me," his wife drew her hand across his face, "Promise me that you will let our daughters find their own way. Do not try to control everything, Hiashi – it is beyond our ability." _

"_I promise to look after them," he settled his arms around his wife._

"_That isn't what I asked you," she said quietly, and he knew that she would brook no opposition in this matter._

"_I promise." He agreed gruffly. "But I don't promise not to let them know what I think is best," he added petulantly._

"_I would expect no less," she laughed lightly before breaking into a fit of coughing. He watched her intensely as she drank water to recover. "It's nothing," she said in response to his stares. "I am fine."_

But it wasn't fine. She had succumbed to a rare and deadly illness. Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto had been found murdered, and their son Itachi was suspected of the crime. The younger Uchiha had inherited everything, although the company had been held in trust for him until he could finish his education. He had made quite a name for himself in the short years that he had been in charge, and Uchiha Industries was as solvent as ever. Hiashi leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. There was mutual respect between Hyūga Enterprises and Uchiha Industries, but there was no love there. They were competition – healthy competition, but competition nonetheless. "I'm sorry," he said closing his eyes. "But I think I need to consider my original idea again. You understand. Things have changed, now. It will be for the best." He gently returned the picture to his desk and stared at it a moment longer. The lights gave a quick flicker, and then petered out completely. He narrowed his eyes, and the veins around them bulged. He snatched up his mobile and dialed security.

"What happened," he bit out as soon as the line was answered. He had ire to spend, and the poor sap at the other end of the line was going to receive it.

"It's the storm, sir," the man squeaked out. "It took out part of the power grid."

"And the generators?"

"Th-they haven't kicked on yet," he replied meekly.

"Then go see what is keeping them, and report back to me IMMEDIATELY!" Hiashi snarled before hanging up."

The guard was shaking when he hang up. "Was that the big guy?" a voice said from around the corner.

"Who's there?!" he screeched, flipping up his flashlight.

"It's just me," the good-natured voice came back as he rolled his eyes. "Well. Me and Akamaru," he reached down to pet the large dog at his side.

"O-oh, it's you, Kiba." he said, timidly. "I-I have to go check the generators, now."

"I'll go," Kiba chuckled. "You stay here. You look like you could jump out of your skin."

The guard looked somewhere between relieved and embarrassed which gave the overall impression of constipation. Kiba just laughed. "Let's go, Akamaru." The dog barked in agreement, causing the high-strung guard to jump. Kiba kept laughing as he made his way down the hall, flashlight out.

Once he was far enough away from his timid coworker, he tapped on the 'Inuzuka' name badge. "How extensive is the outage," he asked.

"Large parts of the grid are out," a bored voice came back. "The hospital emergency grid is intact, though. Troublesome as usual."

Kiba snorted. Everything was troublesome with Shikamaru, so that was hardly a telling assessment. "Any reason to think it was something other than the storm?"

"Not yet," he yawned. "Looks like your generators will be back up in about 10 minutes. Heh – you beat the Uchiha's this time."

Kiba smirked. "Bet he'll love hearing that."

"He isn't going to hear it from me," Shikamaru shook his head. "Keep us posted on your end."

Kiba turned his head back the way he came and smiled wolfishly. "Phone is ringing again – I'm betting Hiashi has grilled that poor son of a bitch. I'd better go – Kiba out."

The mike went dead, and Kiba headed back to his 'coworker,' to assure him that everything would be fine. Eventually.

* * *

Every candle in the apartment was lit, and considering two girls lived there, that meant there were a ton of candles.

"Wouldn't be Spring without the thunderstorms," Ino said philosophically.

Her roommate gave an inelegant snort as she lit several large candles on the mantle. "It's going to smell like a flower shop in here," she muttered.

"Ah, home sweet home," Ino sighed before catching the throw pillow chucked at her head. "Very funny, Forehead girl," she teased.

"Quit yacking, Ino-pig, and help me get these things lit," Sakura giggled. Like truly best friends, they knew how to insult one another.

Satisfied with their efforts, they snuggled down on opposite ends of the small couch and curled under a giant blanket. Sakura loved thunderstorms – there was something wonderful about being inside and cozy when the rest of the world was all rain and thunder. Ino shuddered involuntarily. "I'm glad we're not out in that," she nodded to the window warily. "Good thing we decided not to go out tonight."

"You mean good thing we were too danged tired from working," Sakura yawned dryly.

"That, too," Ino agreed, pouring them each another glass of wine. When her friend arched an eyebrow, she put her hands up in surrender. "It would be a shame to waste it," she explained before setting the now-empty bottle down. Sakura sighed – she might as well enjoy the unexpected break. She checked her pager, surprised that she hadn't been called.

"Has the hospital tried to call you?" she asked Ino.

"Mada desu," she shook her head. Both of their phones chimed as the mass text came through. "Hospital power outage," Ino read, "Doctors and research staff to remain on call."

"Guess that's us," Sakura grumbled.

The phones chimed again. "Power restored. Personnel will be contacted if additional support is required."

Ino handed Sakura her wine. "Guess _this_ is us," she giggled. Sakura joined in. Their working-night-in-turned-movie-night-turned-wine-night was shaping up to be a good evening. They rarely had time to just relax together, despite working at the same research hospital subcontracted under Hyūga Enterprises. Well, more specifically, Ino was contracted to the Hyūga's. Her specialty was R&D on botanical treatments. Sakura specialized in rare diseases and genetic research, but was a MD. She had trained under the renowned Tsunade, and was a brilliant mind in her own right. The two of them had been working together lately, which was a surprisingly pleasant arrangement. Not every friendship can stand the overlay of a working relationship.

"I'm going to get a bath," Sakura announced, standing up a bit too quickly for the wine in her system. "Hold my calls."

Ino rolled her eyes, "Will do, Doctor. See you in the morning." As Sakura headed off to her own room and bathroom, Ino's phone rang. "What's up?" she asked, recognizing the number.

"Nothing," the voice on the other end sighed. "Just monitoring this troublesome storm and the power outages. Everything looks fine at the hospital – thought you should know." Ino smiled at the familiar voice. "And before you ask," she could hear him roll his eyes, "The greenhouses were unaffected." She exhaled. She had a lot of time and energy invested in her research, and she couldn't have it wasted. "Thanks for letting me know, Shikamaru," she grinned.

"Ah. Get back to your wine."

"What do you – how did…?"

"It's raining, you both have been working like crazy, and it's Thursday. Of course you two are drinking wine," the bored explanation came.

"And you and Chōji will eat the barbeque he will have brought in since you will be working late," she smiled.

"Hai," he yawned. "You got us, Ino."

"Good to know some things never change," she sighed happily. "Have a good night."

As they hung up, she gathered up the wine glasses and washed them in the sink before folding the blanket and blowing out some of the candles. There really was nothing better than having friends you could depend on.

* * *

Sakura slid into her bath with a contented sigh. She decided to enjoy the small luxury without considering the whole "what if lightning hits the building" train of thought. She earned this bath, damnit.

She came onboard with the hospital while still in med school. Her research secured her a job here, and she couldn't be happier with her choices. She scooped up a handful of bubbles and blew them into the air, playfully.

_She could hear his deep, sedate laughter as she blew bubbles in the park. "What," she asked, green eyes sparkling as she adjusted her seat on the picnic blanket. "Didn't you like doing this as a kid? Think of it as inner-child therapy." She chirped as she dipped the bubble wand back into the bottle for another round. Arms reached around her and held her wrists as she moved. Arms that brought their faces closer together as he peered over her shoulder from his seat on the blanket, and positioned her to lean against his chest. Arms that brought the wand just next to her cheek so he could blow the bubbles into the lazy wind. She looked at him over her shoulder and stared into his endless ebony eyes and his trademark smirk. _

"_Not bad," he said quietly – almost too quietly to be heard over her thumping heart. She swallowed nervously as their faces inched closer together, bodies turning to face one another. Absently, she noted he smoothly took the bubble paraphernalia from her hands and guided them to clasp behind his neck before kissing her tenderly, his own hand at her waist. _

Her eyes snapped open. Where did _that_ come from?!

The thunder rang out, and she groaned before sinking in the water. The storm. Of course – it was the storm. Memories of him were never too far below her consciousness, and they must've surfaced with the storm. She had always loved thunderstorms, and even more so after meeting Sasuke. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath and sank under the water and bubbles, letting the warmth wash over her until her pulse rang deafeningly in her ears. She stayed until her lungs burned with the need to breathe, focusing only on calming her heartbeat.

When she rose out of the water, she brushed the bubbles, soap, and tears from her eyes. He was gone, now. He had been for a long time. She worked for his competitor, so the chance of seeing him was slim to none. She just had to keep reminding herself that she was over it all – that she had moved on.

If she kept saying it, she might even begin to believe it.

She sank into the bath water, determined to relax. Nothing – not even the memory of Uchiha Sasuke was going to take this rare moment of rest from her. She owed herself that much, at the very least.

She made it a whole fifteen seconds before sighing in exasperation.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"I thought you might be in here," the dry voice came from the doorway. There was no edge to the voice, though, and although it had startled her, she smiled to see her cousin.

"Ha-Hai," she nodded in acknowledgement. "I-I came to check on the plants," she gestured.

Neji entered into the large greenhouse that housed the Hyūga family herbal and medicinal plants. Some of these genetic lines had been bred by the family since the time of the Hokage. They were used for salves, ointments, and spices. It had traditionally been the job of the headman's wife to know all of the family recipes and remedies. That role now fell to Hinata. Neji looked at his cousin fondly, and did well not to laugh at her headlamp. She had a large flashlight sitting upright on the bench next to her, giving her overhead light as well. She was a clever girl, although that seemed to escape the notice of her father.

"Did you think they would go somewhere?" he drawled. She looked up sharply before realizing he was teasing her.

"N-No," she chuckled softly. "I just wanted to look on them."

To look on them. It was a phrase her mother had used, and Neji doubted she even realized she had borrowed it. He came to see what she was working on, and was surprised to see an old and a new text open in front of her. She was clearly making her own notations and sketches – quite well, as it turned out.

"Did you do these?" He asked quietly, indicating the sketches. She lowered her head and nodded, blushing. "They are quite good," he said, surprise faint in his voice. Thunder shook the roof above them, and he moved to put a protective arm around her shoulder.

"Come," he said firmly. "You should get to bed."

She nodded sheepishly as she put her things back into the tote bag she had stashed under the countertop. She flicked off her headlamp, put it in the bag, and used her flashlight to light the way. "Good Night," she said quietly to the plants as she closed the door behind her.

Neji walked her to her room before bowing a polite good night. "Sleep well, Lady Hinata," he said before disappearing down the hall.

Hinata closed the door to her room, thoughtfully. She had been experimenting with the plants, and was hoping Ino could verify what she suspected she had found. She glanced at the clock on the wall, and sighed. It was too late to call her friend – not that what she wanted to know could be resolved over the phone. She just felt so lonely.

The knock at her door was unexpected, but not as unexpected as finding her sister on the other side of the door. She was fiddling with her robe, which was hastily thrown over her pajamas. Hinata stepped to the side, and invited her sister in, concern on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked her gently. The thunder boomed, and Hanabi jumped. Hinata quickly wrapped her in a tight embrace, suddenly knowing what was wrong. There was a storm the night their mother died – a huge one like this one. Even though her sister was strong, brave, and had her father's cunning, she had her own burdens to bear.

"Stay with me tonight," Hinata said kindly. "I don't like being alone with the thunder. Hanabi nodded mutely, and her sister pulled back the covers before sliding into the bed with her. Wrapping an arm around her sister, she stroked her head while she hummed the lullaby that had always soothed her as a child.

It was quite some time and many choruses of rain-splatter against roof and window before the younger sister finally spoke.

"I miss her," she said quietly.

"Me, too."

Hanabi looked up at her sister. "You are so much like her," she said softly before hugging her tightly again. Hinata hugged her back. She did not resent her sister; her only disappointment was that she felt she failed her father and her clan with her weakness. Hanabi should not have to shoulder this burden. She would be the best support to her little sister that she could. She would protect her in the ways their mother had protected them.

"So are you," Hinata stroked her hair. "She would be so proud to see how strong you have become. I am proud of you, you know," she kissed the top of her head.

"I know," she said gruffly. "I'm proud of you, too."

Hinata smiled gently. "Arigatou," she whispered.

She held her sister and stroked her hair until the girl fell into a deep sleep. It was many hours before Hinata drifted off, and she still woke in time to go get her father's breakfast and tea ready. Her life was steady and uneventful, but she was needed in her own quiet little way. She stopped by the butsudan with fresh flowers before beginning her day. She smiled softly at the picture of her mother before praying. "Please help me watch over them both," she whispered. "Help me do what you would have done."

When her prayers were done, she made her way to the kitchen. Neji watched from a distance, noting that she hadn't slept much. He looked into the butsudan and surreptitiously made his own prayers. "Watch over her," he said quietly. "There is something in the wind.

Little did he know how right he was.


	2. Chapter 2: After the Rain

A/N: I own nothing. That is why it is called fanfiction. If I owned it, it would just be fiction, and I would be paid.

**You Must Believe in Spring**

**Chapter Two: After the Rain**

The mess on the floor, the empty boxes of food all over the counters and table, the laundry indiscriminately strewn about the apartment – it was a black and white photo and a toll-free number away from being an official national disaster. The man grimaced as he picked his way across the room until he spotted his target sleeping with the same reckless abandon as he lived – mouth open, arms flung behind his head, and odd-cartoony-character-hat perched on his messy blonde hair.

He sighed. Why did he agree to this, exactly?

He took a chopstick from a nearby bowl and reached over to poke the sleeping man. When that resulted in the haphazard slapping away of the chopstick, he lost patience and put the thing in the idiot's nose. One good snore-snort and Naruto shot upright in confusion, chopstick dangling from his nostril.

"What the hell…?" he asked, fishing the utensil out of his nose. "What gives, Sai?" He tried to ask angrily, but was interrupted by a yawn.

"It appears alarms, yelling, and prodding with a chair didn't work," he motioned to the alarm clock that had been thrown against the wall, the red mark on his cheek, and the broken chair in the corner. "So I resorted to an unconventional method," he smiled his large, fake smile. "You are very hard to wake up. Much like your penis."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he tried to keep from hitting Sai. There were only so many people left who were willing to make sure he was awake for things in the first place; he couldn't afford to lose one of them.

"Of course, it makes sense that you would be hard to arouse if you have nothing to arouse." Sai continued logically.

Nope, he really couldn't afford to lose even one of them. Not even Sai.

"Which also explains why you do not have a girlfriend, although this," he gestured to the red-cross-intervention-pending disaster around them, "might have something to do with it. Perhaps you had a girlfriend and you lost her in this mess. That would certainly explain the smell –"

Sai grimaced at the blow to the head before eyeing an irate Naruto skeptically. "Well at least you are up," he muttered.

"Baka!" Naruto shot over his shoulder as he ran to his shower. "You're as bad as Sasuke-teme."

Sai was not sure whether to be pleased or distressed by this comparison. On one hand, he knew Naruto and Sasuke had a close friendship, and he wanted to be better friends with the energetic orange-loving knucklehead. On the other hand, that had not sounded like a complimentary comparison, and he might have just been insulted. The sound of water burst from down the hall where, presumably, Naruto was now rushing to get ready. Sai checked the time. It had been a good idea to re-set all of the clocks in this place last time he was here. They weren't nearly as late as they could've been – although as he looked down at the smashed alarm clock at his feet, this was Naruto they were talking about. It was too early to celebrate.

"What is this meeting supposed to be about?" Naruto shouted from down the hall, towel wrapped around waist, toothbrush in mouth.

Sai remained expressionless as he shrugged. "We'll find out when we get there," he said before adding, "assuming you don't need the whole morning to finish getting ready."

Naruto was already back in the bathroom flying through his morning routine and didn't hear him. About 25 seconds later, he was dressed in jeans, a black underarmor shirt and a black and orange jacket. He liked orange.

"Well at least we will be able to see you coming," Sai fake smiled as he opened the door, "which is more than I can say for any girl you –"

"Shut it, Sai."

* * *

Sasuke didn't like to wait, and he didn't like to keep others waiting. That made being on a team with Kakashi particularly frustrating.

He was sitting in the meeting room expectantly, eyeing the clock. 7:15. He gave a sound of exasperation as he stood and made his way to the sideboard of breakfast food. Clearly he was going to need something more than the large cup of coffee from the local chain downstairs. He wasn't one for coffee normally, but he was still jetlagged and had not slept well. His jaw tightened. At least the weather did him the favor of staying stormy this morning. He didn't need to exit to another beautiful spring day – not in his current state of mind. He reached for an apple from the table, absently turning it over in his hands. Reaching for the knife, another memory bubbled up from the recesses of his memory.

_"How exactly did you do this, again?" she asked tentatively as she sat on the side of the couch peeling an apple with a knife. _

_His arms were crossed and his mood was pissed as he jerked his chin at the elevated leg under the ice. "Dobe," he grumbled._

_Her eyes widened as she raised her eyebrows and gave him a look. "I assume you mean Naruto and not me," she said with an edge in her playful tone. He sighed and rested his head on the pillow behind him._

_"Ah."_

_"Of course," she muttered. "What is it with you two?" she sliced the apple. "Are you trying to knock each other senseless? Let me guess – pick-up basketball game?"_

_"Hn."_

_"Who won?" she offered him a slice of apple._

_He looked up with one eye closed and a slow smile. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him crushing her to his chest. He lazily bit the apple in her free hand, watching as her eyes turned a deeper shade of green. His look was somewhere between cocky and predatory. "I did."_

He put the apple down and reached for a multigrain bagel and a banana.

"It seems Sasuke shares your love of all things phallic, Naruto" the voice came cheerily behind him. The Uchiha closed his eyes and willed himself not to kill anyone this early in the morning.

"Let it go, Sai," Naruto groaned, grabbing a plate and loading up on everything he could get his hands on. He looked over at Sasuke's selection. "Coffee, teme?" he asked jokingly before taking a look at his friend. "Wow – you look like hell, man. Was your last mission that much of a bear? And what's with the carbo loading? Don't you normally just eat an apple?"

The ebony gaze that sliced over him effectively ended the conversation.

"Guess some people aren't morning people," Naruto mumbled getting a third glass of juice.

Sai watched this all with a practiced eye. He didn't always know what he was seeing, but he missed very little. The dark haired man may have been dressed in a dark suit with nothing out of place, but he looked… off. There was something about the set of his jaw and the way his eyes looked. Something was bothering him.

"Ah, so you are here," a voice drifted in from the hallway. They all turned to see a man with a shock of white hair rubbing the back of his head, his one visible eye turned up with the smile they assumed to be under his mask. He was in field wear, minus his flack vest. The black cargo pants, black long sleeved shirt, and black mask and forehead protector were an homage to their ninja roots updated to allow for present day use. The three men stared back at him with varying degrees of annoyance, exasperation, and acceptance.

"Hai, hai, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto waved between shoveling forkfuls of food into his mouth. "What's so important that you managed to be only 20 minutes late?"

Sai and Sasuke looked at Naruto, then to the clock, then to their team leader. Naruto might seem like an idiot at times, but he picked up on much more than people gave him credit for. He was right – if Kakashi was within 20 minutes of the meeting time, something must really be up. A look passed between the two dark haired team mates as they took their seats at the table.

Kakashi scratched under his chin, thoughtfully. "Well, first things first," he mused, sliding into his seat. "The power outages last night were because of the storm, but it didn't keep several hackers from trying to access our systems when we brought everything back up. Our cypher division is running the data, but it mostly looks like typical amateur work." He looked over at Sasuke. "There were no breaches of security for Uchiha Industries or Hyūga Enterprises."

"Hn," he nodded sharply. Both UI and HE did contract work for the ASF in their own right. Biotechology, pharmaceutical research, disease control, poison research, medical supplies – the companies overlapped in some of their research endeavors, and were both highly useful to the ASF. Traditionally, a clan member from each family reported to the ASF both on the board as well as to the R&D department of ANBU. As the only one left, Sasuke reported in on both fronts. Hiashi was a familiar face in the board room, but the branch family was the one to report to R&D. Hizashi, the head of the branch family and Hiashi's twin brother, had been the liaison to ANBU before his untimely demise. Sasuke didn't know who the current liaison was.

A knock came at the door.

"KAKASHI!" a voice boomed as an energetic man with a shining black bowl cut and what could only be kindly described as a green leotard bounded into the room "I see you are early for our 7:30 meeting!" he smiled brightly before giving an emphatic thumbs up. "WELL DONE!"

The rest of the room sweatdropped at the pose.

"Feven-firty?" Naruto asked with his mouth full before staring at Kakashi. That meant his mentor was actually _early._ He gulped down the food. "Shinjirare nai," he said under his breath as he caught Sai and Sasuke's eyes. Sai tilted his head to take it all in, and the Uchiha narrowed his eyes. Something was definitely up.

"Hai, hai, Guy," Kakashi waved his hand in front of his face, "Come in – where is the rest of your team?"

"ROCK LEE REPORTING FOR DUTY, GUY-SENSEI!" a clone of Guy came flying in the room to stand at rigid attention.

"THAT'S MY BOY, LEE!" and they both posed.

"It is too early for this," a child-like voice came from behind the two men. The young woman behind them was in black-ops gear and was looking like she regretted removing her protective ear-buds. She clearly had just come from the shooting range, her goggles pushed up on her head. "You two need to drink less coffee."

"THIS ISN'T COFFEE – THIS IS THE POWER OF YOUTH!" Guy assured her.

"Must you yell everything, Guy?" Kakashi raised his hands with a friendly smile.

"Ah, my rival – always so cool!" Guy lamented as he bounded to the fruit and tossed an orange to Lee.

Tenten sank in a seat next to Naruto and chugged her black coffee. "No wonder they don't let me come to the meetings armed anymore," she muttered. They both looked up to the ceiling above them that had an obvious patch. Naruto smirked and she sighed. "Yeah, there's that, too." But really – the rooms were bulletproof, and how else was she going to stop the 'Youth Convention' without knock-out gas or a well-placed kunai? She slid a sidelong glance at the blonde who was grinning cheekily. "Shut up, Naruto," she half smiled. He complied, but only because he knew perfectly well that Tenten was never unarmed – no matter what the rules said.

A large dog came padding in the room ahead of a widely yawning Kiba and a clearly 'I-wish-I-were-smoking' Asuma. They had both come straight from their 'guard' shifts to the meeting, and were none too happy about it.

Chōji came in with an armload of baked goods, followed by a yawning Shikamaru. The two of them had monitored the situation last night, and hadn't been to bed yet, either. Kiba and Naruto jumped at Chōji's offerings, nearly knocking over Kurenai and Shizune. Sauske flicked a glance over to Kakashi. This was more of the ASF than he had seen in years.

He stiffened when the next person walked in the room. He willed himself to keep his face impassive as he met the eyes of Hyūga Neji. Before either man could do more than offer cold stares, Tsunade strode in the room and eyed those assembled. "Good – you all got the memo," she said, making her way to the head of the table. "It has been quite some time since we were all assembled," she put down the stack of files she had been carrying with a loud THUMP on the table.

She looked at them each in turn, weighing what she had to tell them. She nodded to herself – they could handle it. They were, after all, the pride of the Konoha branch of the Allied Shinobi Force, ANBU division.

The Allied Nations had instituted the Allied Shinobi Force after the last Great War generations ago. It was an international task force that helped keep the balance of power between the Five Great Nations and the smaller independent lands under their care. The Konoha division was well respected and had earned its reputation over years of tireless dedication. What the public didn't know, though, was about Tsunade's real division. The elders of the Five Great Nations knew that the ASF alone wouldn't be able to police those that wanted to disrupt the peace between nations. The ANBU division dealt in intelligence and counterterrorism, and it was comprised of individuals from multiple nations stationed throughout the territories. It was the silent arm of the ASF that discovered and dispatched threats too dark and shadowed to face in the light of day – even when the threat came from an internal breakaway division formerly known as ROOT. She looked at the people around his table, eyeing Kakashi's team in particular.

As the head of Uchiha Industries, Sasuke was a public face seen to be cooperating with the ASF. It was not public knowledge that he was a member and an ANBU captain – a Jōnin level operative in his own right with a classified file that was more redacted than readable.

Naruto was a well-liked operative that somehow had united any division he participated in. He was a huge asset to the agency, but he also had a thick file that hinted that he needed the agency just as much as the agency needed him. He had been instrumental in strengthening the ties to Suna and their enigmatic leader, Gaara. Naruto was one of the main liaisons to that nation. Kakashi fully expected him to be a leader in his own right someday, earning him the recognition he so deserved.

Sai had been an elite member of the ROOT division of ANBU. ROOT had been a carryover from the days before the ASF, and was dedicated to the protection of Konoha specifically. When the leader Danzo had tried to overtake the ASF in a twisted struggle for power, Sai had joined the ASF in bringing him down. That had been five years ago. His distant, awkward personality meant he was not much liked, but he was well respected for his talents.

She flicked a glance over the rest of the Konoha team. Shizune was her first apprentice and personal assistant who helped run the medical and research wing of the ASF. Tenten was the weapons specialist and in charge of the armory. Kiba trained the ninja hounds and was part of the tracking divison. Asuma and Kurenai were leaders like Kakashi, and Guy and Lee were the hand-to-hand-combat specialist. Shikamaru was a brilliant up-and-coming strategist who coordinated between departments, relying on Chōji as support. Kakashi was, well, Kakashi. They were all elite and deadly in their own right.

"For those of you who don't know," she motioned to the man sitting next to her, "Hyūga Neji has taken over as the ASF and ANBU representative for the Hyūga clan."

"Where's Old-Man Hyūga," Naruto asked before Tenten could shove an elbow into his ribs.

"Dealing with some internal clan matters," Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. "Neji has been our ANBU correspondent for a while now – he's just covering for his uncle as well." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. So that is what it was. How had he not known that Neji was a member of ANBU? Guess he had been too busy with his own missions.

Tsunade pushed a button under the table with her long, manicured fingernail. The lights dimmed and a series of hologram images flickered at the other end of the room. "Shino is joining us from the lab, and Ino from the Hyūga R&D department. We are expecting a Suna representative as well," she checked her watch. Suna was a few hours behind them; she'd get started and catch them up when they came online.

"Wow," Naruto looked at the whole gang assembled and gave a low whistle. "This is a hell of a 7:30 meeting."

Tsunade looked down to the clipboard that Shizune had handed her.

"Shino," she said, sitting with her elbows on the table, and lacing her fingers. "Please tell us what you have found.

"Hai, Lady Tusnade." The deep muffled voice came from behind the biohazard lab ware and goggles. "It seems we are seeing a rise in pathogenic attacks on shinobi. Furthermore, several of our operatives have been hit with some aggressive poisons that appear to be the result of bioengineered pathogens." The room was quiet.

"So they are using bacteria to weaken and poison our operatives," Kakashi said slowly.

"Ah," Shino affirmed. Naruto sweat dropped – is that what that meant?

"That sort of thing has been done before," Tenten crossed her arms. "What makes this different?"

"It appears that these organisms have been genetically modified to target the advanced chakra systems of shinobi," Shino held up a vial of indeterminate color. "This allows them to be introduced indiscriminately over the civilian population and still eliminate a shinobi target. There is evidence that some are being modified to be air or water borne. Further research shows that some of the DNA of these organisms has been altered to allow them to target and attach to specific DNA markers."

Tsunade remained quiet.

"What kind of DNA markers," Shikamaru asked warily, fairly certain he knew the answer.

"The ones for Kekkei genkai."

A hush fell over the room.

"There is more," Shino continued. "There appears to be a particular interest in the ocular Dōjutsu form of Kekkei genkai. Which means,"

"That they are after the Hyūgas," Neji said before shooting a glance at Sasuke, "and you," he added as if it were an afterthought. Sasuke clenched his jaw, but said nothing.

"That's not all," a voice chimed in from another screen. Ino was sitting at her lab bench checking over her shoulder. "There have been attempts on the informational records here, relating to the Byakugan. There is evidence that there are some vicious plant-based poisons surfacing as well – things that appear to be from genetically modified plant life. We are going to need more help in the R&D end of this."

Sai looked to the monitors. "Where is Suna in all of this?" he asked suddenly.

Shizune flipped through her list. "We were expecting Kankurō to report in on his findings; he had gone after one of the attackers in Suna."

"He won't be reporting in," a voice said from the monitor. Gaara looked as if he had seen a ghost. "Temari just informed me. He has been rushed to the hospital. He has been poisoned."

"Poisoned!" Tsunade jumped up, slamming her hands on the table, nearly cracking it in half. "Where did she take him?!"

Gaara gave a hint of a smile.

"To your apprentice. He has been under the care of Dr. Haruno for the last hour."

"Ino," Tsunade snapped, "Go assist Sakura in any way you can. I will be there immediately."

"Hai!" Ino's screen blinked out.

"This meeting will reconvene after our findings," she scooped up her paperwork "Shino – make sure you are getting all of the data from Sakura's procedure. Neji – go to your hospital immediately and help keep us in the loop. We need your eyes there. Be careful," she warned him. "Here," she plunged a needle into his arm without warning. "That is the vaccine that Shino made this morning against the current bacteria we found. I'll be sending over doses for the rest of the clan. Shikamaru – go with Neji," she paused only long enough to jab Sasuke in the shoulder through his jacket as she walked by. "You. Stay with your team today and away from the hospitals. Asuma, Kiba – get rest. Kurenai and Chōji make sure they go home and get rest. Lee and Guy, go immediately to the Hyūga residence and be on guard. Tenten, Hanabi is with her father, so make sure that Hinata is safe. Kakashi – make sure your team is ready. Let's go!" she snatched up her things and was out of the door before anyone could utter more than "Hai" to her directives.

Everyone bustled to get out to their respective missions. "Man," Naruto looked over to a stunned Sasuke. "Obaa-chan must've gotten you good, eh?" Sasuke managed to glower in return, but he wasn't shocked by the shot – although that had been unnecessarily rough. He was more shocked that Tsunade was going to aid her _apprentice_ over at the _Hyūga_ hospital. Dr. Haruno. Dr. Haruno Sakura. It wasn't the jab of the needle that unsettled him. It was the pang that name sent straight into his chest where his heart should have been.

He stood abruptly, taking out a report from the bag at his feet. He flipped it at Kakashi. "I'm going to go train," was all he said as he strode out of the room. Naruto watched him go with raised eyebrows. He looked to Kakashi.

"Is it her?"

"Seems that way."

Sai looked between them both.

"Is who, her?" he frowned. Naruto and Kakashi exchanged significant looks. This just wasn't Sasuke's day.

* * *

Hinata had only marginally slept after the storm. She woke very early and quietly ran through her morning routine, which included a quick restorative yoga sequence, a fast shower, a peek at the greenhouse, a visit to the butsudan, and preparing breakfast for her family. It had been this way since her mother had died. Even while attending Konoha University, she had lived at home and stuck to her morning routine. She eyed the clock. 5:45 AM. Neji rounded the corner and she smiled at him. Right on time.

She handed him a cup of tea and an omelet. He had long since given up on trying to convince her this wasn't necessary, especially on the days she went to the hospital. Eyeing her scrubs, he concluded that today was one of those days. He noted the pale skin under her eyes was darker than usual. He watched her carefully as she turned to finish preparing Hiashi's breakfast. Hanabi, he knew, would not be up for another 20 minutes or so, but her sister would leave breakfast and a bento box for lunch. As if reading his mind, she pulled out a box and handed it to him.

"I know you have a busy day," she said in her soft voice. "I made your lunch when I made mine last night."

Neji bowed his head. "Arigatou, Hinata."

"Dōitashimashite," she smiled gently as she scooped up a tray. "Have a good meeting," she said over her shoulder as she went down the hall quickly to her father's study.

"Ohayo gozaimasu," she said softly as she brought in his breakfast. Hiashi looked up at his daughter, his face softening imperceptibly. For a moment he could see her with her mother, bringing him his breakfast before the two of them went to visit the hospital. His wife went every week, and that is where Hinata gained her love of medicine. She was a nurse at his hospital, but her clan duties kept her on a different rotation than most of the staff. He was not unreasonably proud that Lady Tsunade had hand-picked her to be on her own apprentice's team. She noiselessly placed the tray down before bowing to her father, who thanked her stiffly. He watched as she left as silently as she had entered, and he swallowed a sigh. He could never bring himself to say the things that he wanted to tell her; it just wasn't his way. He had to show her by making sure she was cared for.

Ko was waiting for her when she came out. She smiled fondly at her clansman that had been watching over her for most of her life. He insisted on driving her to the hospital, as the weather was dreary. She knew he'd be waiting for her as soon as her shift ended, and that he would check on her throughout the day. She also knew that it wasn't just a sense of duty that kept him near to her side – he cared very much about her.

Hinata checked her watch: 6:15. Dr. Haruno had the ER rotation today. Sakura's duties at the hospital were all-encompassing as the head medic-nin second only to Lady Tsunade. Hinata never quite knew what to expect when she came on shift, and it turned out today was no exception.

A sudden commotion from the triage area caught her attention. A nurse flew out from one of the rooms nearly colliding with Hinata. With surprising speed, Hinata swerved out of her way before steadying the other woman by the shoulders.

"Gomen, Lady Hinata," she gasped. "I have to get to Dr. Haruno –"

"Nurse!" a familiar voice cut through the air. "What the hell is – Hinata!"

Hinata looked over to see Temari looking like she was running on no sleep and fighting phantoms. A groan came from behind her. "Just hold on, Kankurō," she urged.

Hinata looked at the nurse steadily. "Get Dr. Haruno immediately," she ordered before striding into the triage room with two of the three Sand Siblings.

"What happened," she half whispered, taking in the man writhing on the gurney.

"Poison," Temari said bitterly. "We think the attack was meant for Gaara," she continued, her face etched with worry. A nurse's aide came in with a cool cloth and water basin. Hinata sent her out with a nod before taking over sponging Kankurō's forehead. The man was sweating, which meant that the body was trying to rid itself of the poison. He'd probably need an IV for fluids, though. While Temari stepped out to look down the hall for Sakura, Hinata activated her Byakugan. Her eyes opened wider. This was not good. The chakra network was being forcibly disrupted. She looked up to ask Temari more about what had happened, when she stopped short. Before she could say anything though, the nurse returned, panting.

"OR-2," she said quickly, and Hinata released the wheels on the gurney. They moved quickly and efficiently out of the room and down the hall to where Sakura would be waiting. Temari fell in behind them, going so far as the prep area while the other nurse took Kankurō into the brightly lit room.

Hinata could see the familiar pink hair on the other side of the glass as she pulled her hair back and washed her hands.

She turned back to the returning triage nurse, "T-Take Temari to room Q-4 and wait for further instruction."

"Q-4? But that's…," at Hinata's uncharacteristically sharp look, the nurse choked on her reply. "Hai, Lady Hinata."

"Watch over him," Temari said quietly before being whisked away.

Hinata hurried in to Sakura's side. Sakura looked up and the women exchanged glances.

"Where is Temari?" Kankurō asked weakly. "Is she alright?"

"S-She's fine, Hinata soothed as she took over placing an IV in his arm. "She's waiting this out in room Q-4 while Dr. Haruno works on you," she said more to the attending physician than to the patient.

Sakura's eyes snapped to Hinata knowingly. "Q-4?"

Hinata nodded. Sakura looked down at the man, her mind racing.

She squared her shoulders. "I'll take care of the poison and you mind his chakra network. Hinata nodded sharply, and made herself ready to help her friend. "Déjàvu," Sakura muttered.

The next hour flew by for them both. Sakura determined that there was no antidote on file for the poison, and they didn't have time to waste. She resorted to what she called 'primitive' but was actually a complex method of forcing the poison out of Kankurō's system while saving it for analysis. Sakura looked down at the dark haired man. Who had been clever enough to catch the Suna leader's bodyguard unaware? She had finally finished extracting the poison and began running chakra into the man's muscles. She had guessed correctly that this poison had been refined with heavy metals, which in turn destroyed the cells of the muscles. She could see Ino waiting in the prep area, and she smiled to herself. Somehow Ino was always where she needed her to be. She motioned for her to come in.

"Begin analyzing this," Sakura gave a sample of the poison to Ino. "And check the blood work; I need a pathogenic profile. Get Shino on this." Ino was, for once, extremely glad that Shino was both an ASF/ANBU member as well as part of the R&D department. She suppressed a shudder at the thought of going to his lab, and took the vials.

"Take blood work from Temari as well," Sakura ordered. "She may have been exposed. She is in Q-4."

Ino looked surprised.

"Why has she been quarantined?"

Sakura glanced at Hinata before answering, "Because it looks like this isn't just a poison. It's a toxin; and whatever put it in their systems is still making it."

Ino looked at her determined friend. "I think we have a few hours before the toxin levels can build again," Sakura wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Keep him on fluids," she directed to an assisting nurse. "And keep me updated on his progress."

"Hai!" the small man replied.

"Ino – get that over to Shino immediately and then meet me in my lab. Lady Tsunade will be there shortly." She looked back over to where Kankurō was resting peacefully. "We have work to do."

* * *

Neji and Tenten had arrived at the hospital at nearly the same time, so they both went to the observation deck to observe Dr. Haruno and Hinata.

Tenten felt a shiver snake down her spine.

"Squeamish?" Neji asked cooly.

"I hate hospitals," she griped. "They want you to protect people, but they don't want you to have weapons on you. It's pointless."

Neji arched an eyebrow. They were both hand-to-hand combatants, he knew that statement wasn't true. "How exactly did you get through security?" he asked slowly. "Switch to non-metal weapons?"

She smirked at that. "That's too much trouble. I had the lab help me rig something that throw off the detectors instead. Much simpler."

Neji was a bit more nervous after that statement. His eyes raked over her, and he didn't notice anything conspicuous.

"You'll need more than your Byakugan to figure out where I'm packing," she said, her eyes never leaving the scene below them.

A hint of a blush crept across Neji's features as he grunted his retort. Tenten smothered a smile. Getting a rise out of Neji was much harder than egging on Naruto or Lee, and that made it that much more fun.

"I've got this," she said nodding to the women below them. "Looks like they will be at it for a while longer. Why don't you check around and see what's going on. Maybe Temari can fill you in."

"Hai," he said curtly before leaving the room. "Try to resist shooting anything," he said over his shoulder. "The paperwork for that kind of thing is staggering."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "You shoot _one_ guy in a hospital, and they never let you live it down." It was Neji's turn to smirk.

"No," he assured her, "we won't."

It was only a matter of moments before Neji discovered that Temari had been quarantined. The nurse indicated that Temari thought she was in a private waiting room for families with loved ones in the OR. Neji went to an observation area outside of Q-4, his arms crossed. The nurse said Hinata sent Temari in here without any blood work or indication that she had been exposed to a biological threat. He activated his Byakugan and inhaled sharply. There were tiny pinpoints of disturbances along her chakra network, not unlike what he had seen in Kankurō. He silently applauded his cousin for noticing that the disturbance was eerily similar to disruptions caused by pathogens, or Aburame insects. He frowned. How would she know that? Perhaps Dr. Haruno's research covered this sort of thing. Sakura had clearance to work with the ASF; she just wasn't cleared for ANBU yet – 'yet' being the operative word here. If he didn't miss his guess, she'd be in Tsunade's lab before Monday morning, and signing up for ANBU. What did that mean for his cousin? This gave him pause.

Hinata had originally attended the university to study botany. Hiashi had seen that as a wonderful way for her to receive her education with no job prospects to compete with her returning to manage the extensive Hyūga medicinal gardens after graduation. He had only relented to her becoming a nurse when she urged him to think of how she could help care for the clan; particularly the children. He highly doubted he would allow Hinata to join ANBU. And yet Tsunade had hand-picked Hinata to be Sakura's main nurse. Perhaps she had planned for her to join the ASF all along?

Neji shook his head to clear it of these off topic musings. He checked to make sure he was alone before calling Shino to report what he saw. Whoever had done this was a serious threat, and they didn't have time to waste on speculation. He strode out of the room and headed toward his office. Even without the threat of a jumpy weapons specialist in his family's hospital, he was going to have a ton of paperwork before the day was over.

* * *

Sai leaned against the wall, watching Sasuke and Naruto attack each other over and over again. Kakashi had his arms crossed, and his good eye narrowed. He knew his baka chicken-haired former student was exhausted, but he was skilled enough not to let it show in his movements. Still, he would never out do Naruto's stamina, even on his best day. It seemed that the two of them were having one of their 'heart to hearts' the way only two ninja best friends could do – by beating the snot out of each other. He idly watched Naruto fly past him and slam into a wall, leaving a sizeable crater behind him. "Looks like they're making real progress," he said cheerfully.

A figure came in through the door behind him, and stopped. "Whoa."

Kakashi turned to the young man who was trying to follow the motions of the flying ninjas. "What set them off this time?"

Kakashi shrugged airily. "Who knows? Did Shikamaru give you any details about your assignment?"

The young man dragged his eyes away from the spectacle ahead of him, wincing when Naruto bounced Sasuke off of the floor before dodging the Uchiha's fireball. "Sort of," he took the file from Kakashi's outstretched hand. "I'm supposed to pick up a bodyguard detail over at Konoha U. Oh, wait, no way," his eyes went wide. "You want me to guard _her_?!"

Kakashi still didn't look at him. "Problem?"

"Oh, no, not at all," the younger man grimaced as he flipped through the file. "Just looking after the Hyūga heir, and having to sign up for all of the same classes mid semester – none of which are even remotely close to my major, by the way – AND I have to somehow watch over this chick who talks to no one, and always has one of those creepy-white-eyed clansmen of hers hanging around. Should be a frickin' cakewalk."

"Good to hear," Kakashi said, turning his head to the right to dodge an electrified kunai. "I expect you to make contact with her by tonight, Konohamaru."

"By toni- are you kidding me?" he spat out. "Do you know how many guys try to talk to this girl a day? Can't I just do the whole 'watch over you without introducing myself,' thing?!"

Kakashi slid his eyes over to him. "Chicken?"

"He did study under Naruto," Sai chimed in. "Perhaps in his training he learned to also not have a penis."

Konohamaru's eyebrow twitched as he flexed his jaw. "Fine," he spat out between clenched teeth. "I'll report in tonight." With that he exited, cursing under his breath the whole way. No sooner had the door closed when 5 or 6 Naruto clones went slamming against it before popping out of existence.

"It's a good match today," Sai smiled brightly.

Kakashi smiled to himself. "Where do you stand in the pool?"

Sai watched a Sasuke clone get cut down by a rasengan. "I've got bets on at least 4 broken ribs, and am hopeful for a concussion. That would put me over Shikamaru's win last week." They both ducked to avoid Naruto careening over them to bounce his head off of a training dummy. Kakashi frowned when he realized it wasn't a clone.

"Well there goes my 5 bucks" he muttered to a grinning Sai.

"Should we stop them before they do any more damaged?" Sai asked, still grinning.

Kakashi rubbed his chin. "I've got $10 riding on at least one good injury from a summoning. Let's give them 5 more minutes."

Sai nodded. Who said that Shinobi don't know how to have fun?


	3. Chapter 3: Interlude

A/N: I own nothing. That is why it is called fanfiction. If I owned it, it would just be fiction, and I would be paid.

**You Must Believe in Spring**

**Chapter Three: Interlude**

Tsunade was not one to mince words or actions. She had swept out of the meeting, shoes clacking down the hall authoritatively with Shizune was chasing after her, as usual.

"You will have to come with me," Tsunade informed Shizune as she paused by her office to deposit her armload of documents and snatch up several texts and scrolls which she handed haphazardly to her faithful assistant. "Your knowledge of poisons will be key."

"Hai,"Shizune stammered while trying to quickly juggle the new load with what she was already carrying. She straightened suddenly and quickly touched a finger to her earpiece. "Ino has the samples from from Kankurō and Temari. She is bringing them to Shino right now," Shizune frowned a bit as she listened to what Ino was saying. Her eyes widened, and Tsunade raised her brows, expectantly.

"Understood," Shizune said. "We'll meet you at the lab. Shizune out." She looked up to find her mentor had already turned with determined strides in the direction of Shino's lab, forcing her to jog to catch up. "Ino is taking the shuttle from the hospital. Sakura removed the toxin from Kankurō's system, but it appears to be only a preliminary measure."

"You said toxin," Tsunade narrowed her eyes, never breaking stride. Shizune didn't misspeak in these kinds of matters.

"Hai. It appears that both Kankurō and Temari have been exposed to some kind of pathogen that is attacking the chakra network. The poison is actually a toxic byproduct of the organism; or perhaps the organism itself was designed to release this toxin, and just happens to feed on chakra networks to their detriment. Either way, the pathogen is still present in both of them. Temari does not yet show any symptoms of being poisoned.

Tsunade frowned.

"Then how do we know she has been infected before we run the diagnostics."

Shizune snatched at a wayward scroll. "Hinata," she said simply. "She was checking Kankurō's chakra network when she noticed Temari had the beginnings of a similar disturbance, albeit in the very early stages." Shizune did not look up in time, and she bounced off of the back of her mentor, who had stopped in her tracks, thoughtfully. Tsunade didn't even flinch as her assistant went skidding backward on her behind, littering the floor with scrolls and books.

"Hinata did?" she half asked, half stated.

Shizune looked around at the scattered documents and sighed. "Hai."

Tsunade crossed her arms before reaching up to cup her chin thoughtfully. Hinata's chakra control, like most of the Hyūga's, was exceptional. However, she was uniquely perceptive to subtleties that escaped even highly trained medical-nin. "She has good eyes," Tsunade muttered to herself.

"And a good memory," Shizune added, shoveling the scrolls under her arms. "She has an excellent recall for patient history_ – _and you can ask her just about anything about those plants of Hyūga's. She took over her mother's job maintaining the clan archives."

Tsunade smiled to herself. She remembered her trip to the Hyūga's archives when she first arrived back in Konoha 8 years ago.

"_I'm looking for information on this plant," the blonde handed her an archaic scroll with a faded drawing and unintelligible notes. Hinata took the scroll gingerly. _

"_I-I know this plant," she said, timidly. Tsunade watched, masking her surprise as Hinata went directly for a roll of scrolls on a far wall. "The records are from Furofuki - a herbologist from the time of the Fifth Hokage." She explained as she selected a scroll. "She calls it the Jofuku flower." Hinata handed Tsunade the scroll, her stammer having vanished. "Furofuki seems to have overcome the flower's strange defenses to study it, but later records indicate it wasn't worth the trouble to grow just to harvest for medicinal reasons."_

_Tsunade arched an eyebrow at the suddenly animated young woman. "You seem to know quite a bit about it," she considered the heiress. _

_Hinata blushed and her stammer returned. "Ha-Hai. I-I look after the gardens here," her voice faded into a whisper._

A glimmer of a thought flicked into Tsunade's mind as she suddenly took off down the hall again, leaving Shizune to scramble in her wake. She nearly collided into Ino, who had just exited Shino's lab.

"Report," Tsunade demanded, arms crossed over her expansive chest.

Ino straightened up, startled. "It seems an attempt was made on Gaara two nights ago. Kankurō and Gaara stopped the attack, but Kankurō went after the assailant. He made it to the border between Wind and Fire and was attacked. Temari had been on her way back from a mission and found Kankurō badly beaten. His assailant informed him that the poison could kill him in three days, and she raced him here to get treatment. That's about all we know," Ino sighed.

"What did Sakura find out?"

"Sakura was able to extract the toxins from the patient. However, we were unable to the nature of the pathogen producing the toxin. Temari appears to have also been exposed, however she isn't showing signs of toxin build up yet. It isn't clear if she is in the early stages of exposure, or if her exposure simply wasn't prolonged enough to allow the pathogen to wreak full havoc.

Tsunade took it all in. "Shino will contact us when he has results," she nodded to the large double doors behind Ino. "Come," she headed toward the high-speed underground shuttle. "Fill me in on the rest of the details on the way to the hospital."

"Hai," Ino nodded sharply.

* * *

The Allied Shinobi Force wasn't just an established and well respected international organization; it was one of the largest employers in Konoha next to the Hyūga and Uchiha corporations. The Konoha branch of the ASF employed a large number of civilians and shinobi alike, and almost every resident of the city had at least one family member or friend associated with the ASF. Many of the children of those working at the ASF attended the Leaf Academy which, in addition to a first rate education, offered them protection and training as potential members. Certain clans had been pillars of Konoha since the days of the Hokage, and their children still attended the Academy as their ancestors had before them. The roster had familiar names year after year; Saratobi, Inuzuka, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, Hyūga – families that proved their loyalty to Konoha generation after generation. Occasionally a person like Haruno Sakura with no clan affiliations would come along and distinguish herself, but for the most part, the members of the ASF were a sort of longstanding extended family.

Therefore, it shouldn't have been too surprising when Hyūga Hiashi not only recognized but greeted Konohamaru by name. He bowed quickly and returned the greeting respectfully, glad that the file he had been given on his daughter was tucked away in the backpack slung over his shoulder. He had called out and waved to Genma, who had stepped aside to reveal the eminent clan leader with whom he had been speaking. Genma smirked at how fast the young man recovered, shifting the senbon in his mouth to the side. "Konohamaru is one of our most promising interns," he said, calmly, knowing Konohamaru was struggling to keep a straight face at the comment.

"Do you have plans to join the Allied Shinobi Force after graduation," Hiashi inquired.

"Hai," he said politely before grinning, "It runs in the family."

"So it does," Hiashi mused. Konohamaru's grandfather had been a director of the Konoha ASF and his uncle was a distinguished member. He darted a glance at Genma, who nodded as if confirming a previously asked question. "You attend Konoha University, do you not?"

"Yes, sir."

"And what year are you?"

"I am in my third year," he answered, flicking his eyes to Genma for a second, who seemed to be enjoying some kind of private joke.

"He is a member of the Konoha House," Genma said neutrally. "We have high hopes for him." Konohamaru sweat dropped. The Konoha House was ostensibly an honor's society/dormitory with separate dwellings for the outstanding young men and women at Konoha University. In reality, it was a base for the ANBU members at KU and those that needed special protection, and they were connected to the main base and each other via the underground shuttle system. In practice, the boy's dormitory was much more like a frat house. The years when Naruto, Kiba, Chōji, and Shikamaru attended were legendary. "In fact," Genma took the senbon out of his mouth, studying it idly, "Konohamaru is up for the position of president next year." He looked up at the young man, his taunting expression unnoticed by the serious Hyūga.

"Is that so?" Hiashi raised his eyebrows. "That is quite the accomplishment. Congratulations."

"H-Hai," Kohohamaru blushed slightly, making a mental note to have words with Genma. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

Hiashi gave a short nod as if deciding something, and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I would speak with you about a certain matter in which I feel you could assist me," he said. "That is, if you have the time," he added graciously. Konohamaru tried not to sigh to himself. He very clearly had no choice in the matter.

Genma put his arm around the young man. "He has all the time in the world," he assured Hiashi. "Kakashi just informed me he is under my instruction today. If it is convenient," he addressed the clan leader, "I can take you to one of our meeting rooms. If nothing else, I know the interrogation rooms are empty today."

Konohamaru ground his teeth. Genma was absolutely enjoying this. Hiashi, however did not notice the young shinobi's predicament.

"Excellent," he replied, and motioned for the Jōnin to lead the way. Konohamaru kept his composure while groaning inside. First Kakashi and now Genma. What was with his luck today?

* * *

Dr. Haruno Sakura loved her job. She loved getting up every morning to come and be somewhere she was needed, and had worked tirelessly to earn her well-deserved reputation. She had always been an excellent student in the academic sense, but her direction and determination had crystallized all of those years ago when she woke up to find herself left behind. Again.

"_You can't help me," he had told her, his back rigid, his eyes on a target too distant to see. "You'll only slow me down."_

Those words replayed in her mind countless times as she undertook her grueling training with Tsunade. They echoed in her ears as she punished her body, draining it of chakra and depriving it of rest. They stuck in the very core of her being, and were the wound that kept healing only to reopen time and time again. Eventually, she gave up trying to heal and just decided to forge ahead certain in the knowledge that the only cure she needed was time and distance. She wasn't going to sit around and wait to one day wake up fine. She was going to run at the head of the pack, and give everyone else a good look at her back.

It was that tireless determination that had raised her to be recognized as the most promising medical-nin in the Allied Shinobi Nations. She was known for her quick mind, her analytical skills, and her ingenuity; and she was going to need every last bit of that today.

She and Hinata had worked with an efficiency borne of trust and experience. Hinata kept the other nurses on task and in line, anticipating Sakura's needs with a foresight bordering on precognition. Sakura smiled to herself. The shy stammer that marked her friend's speech was all but nonexistent when they were working in tandem. Perhaps that is why the nurses snapped to attention to fast when she would give her directives. Of course, it might be because although she was firm, Hinata was also kind. Sakura was known for having no patience for disturbances and had been called "scary" on more than one occasion. She had also been called "terrifying," "short tempered," and "brutal."

That didn't matter today – today what mattered is that they were trying to save the life of their friends.

She sat down at her desk, thinking about what had happened so far.

_Sakura immediately understood that Hinata had arranged for Temari to be quarantined and didn't want to alarm Kankurō. She waited until the mild sedative had made its way from the IV to an acceptable level in his system before bringing it up._

"_What did you see," she asked, focusing on the process of removing the toxin. The other nurses had stepped away, knowing better than to get too close to Dr. Haruno in delicate operations. _

"_His chakra network is being attacked and disrupted," she said in her quiet voice. "I can make out various points where it seems there are clusters of some kind of pathogen with its own slightly different chakra signature. I can see the disturbance in his system as his own chakra is being digested and processed by the parasite. Temari has similar hints of the foreign chakra, but they didn't appear to be processing her chakra as aggressively."_

_Sakura nodded. "If it is a true pathogen, she might have been exposed but not affected. It could also be that her chakra isn't as conducive to the pathogen. Or," she grimaced at Hinata, "it just hasn't started yet."_

_Hinata used her Byakugan to monitor Kankurō's chakra pathways as Sakura worked. She quietly hovered a glowing green palm near the site of the poison extraction, stimulating the muscles to release the toxin. Sakura nodded her approval. This would help limit how much chakra she had to expend on this stage of the process._

_She took a quick look up at Hinata. It wasn't the first time she was glad that the quiet young woman was on her team. "The question is, how did it get introduced?" Sakura continued. _

"_I took a swab at each puncture and injury site," Hinata indicated the series of test tubes with swabs sealed behind her. "Maybe Shino can determine of the pathogen or the toxin introduced by one of the wounds."_

Sakura frowned. She had some suspicions taking root in her mind, and she was almost too nervous to voice them out loud.

A quiet knock at the door told her Hinata had returned.

"Come," she called, standing to help with the tea she knew her friend would have prepared before joining her in the office. Hinata pushed a cart in, and poured both Sakura and herself a steaming cup of a pale green liquid. "This might actually be the best part of having you on the team," Sakura teased her gently. "You make the most amazing tea. Is this another Hinata original?"

Hinata blushed. "I-It is a blend I made fr-from our gardens." She admitted. "I-I figured you'd need it after the morning you've had so far."

"The morning _we've_ had," Sakura corrected before looking at the clock. 8:20. "And it's not over yet." She took a long sip of the hot liquid, inhaling the subtle fragrance. It was heavenly. "I'm guessing Tsunade will be here shortly," she nodded to the extra cups. "I hope Shino can get us some results quickly.

A sharp rap came at the door before Tsunade strode in with Shizune and Ino in her wake. Sakura raised an eyebrow less at the bombastic blonde than at the clearly overloaded Shizune. Hinata scurried over and helped her pile the scrolls on a table Sakura used for reviewing files. Tsunade immediately poured herself a cup of tea before perching herself on the arm of a large chair.

"Well?" she looked to her student sharply. Sakura knew better than to sigh – this was a case of Tsunade being all business. She filled her mentor in on all that had happened so far as the older woman listened intently.

"How are Kankurō and Temari doing now," Tsunade asked. Sakura looked over to Hinata, who looked down quickly.

"I-I checked Kankurō on my way back with the tea," she said softly. His chakra network is still disrupted, but it appears that the clusters of the pathogen are smaller and his system is still free of the toxin. Temari's network does not appear to have changed from when I first saw her this morning."

Shizune straightened up, her fingers flying to her earpiece. The other women in the room looked expectantly at her. "Shino wants to know if we can meet in the lab," she informed them before pausing, "… and he asked that you make sure that Hinata has her vaccine before you bring her."

Hinata blinked twice before looking over to Tsunade who pursed her lips in thought. "V-vaccine?" she asked, curious.

Tsunade shook her head as if to clear it. "Yes," she handed her what looked like a short fat pen. Hinata recognized it as the kind of syringe used by field medics to deliver antidotes and antitoxins. They were single use and required no sterilization. They could even deliver through clothing if needed – but that was hardly a factor in her case. It wasn't like Tsunade went around ambushing people with vaccines. Hinata deftly rolled up her sleeve and delivered the vaccine into the top of her arm without question.

Sakura took this all in, folding her arms in front of her.

"What's going on," she asked flatly.

"That's the big money question today," Tsunade said flicking an invisible piece of something off of her pant leg. "The even bigger question is," she looked to Sakura and Hinata in turn. "Are you ready to find out?

She let the question hang in the air, and the young women exchanged glances. "Sounds like they are finally ready to tell us about ANBU," Sakura said dryly.

The other three women in the room almost fell over.

Tsunade, her dramatic moment spoiled, floundered for words. Sakura rolled her eyes. "I mean really. As long as I've been your student you didn't think I'd figure _something_ was up?"

Ino was the first to laugh. "She got us," she put her hands up in the air. "Let's get to the lab before Shino sends his bugs after us."

Sakura stiffened. "B..Bugs?"

Tsunade, recovering some of her thunder, allowed her features to twist into a knowing smirk. "Didn't see that one coming, oh _student_ of mine?" she grinned wickedly. "You are in for a hell of a day," she promised.

Sakura sighed. So what else was new?

* * *

Shikamaru stood in the observation area of Q-4, where he couldn't be seen by the restless kunoichi. He touched his hand to his ear, "Yo, Shino" he said in a low voice.

"Hai."

"Have we determined if these two are contagious?"

"They do not appear to be. Temari's bloodwork is clear – no toxins in her system. The pathogen does not appear to be reproducing in her system. I will have her ordered here, shortly."

Shikamaru gave a half snort. "Ordered, huh? And away from her brother? Do you remember this woman?"

"I remember her well enough to make sure I'm not the one in charge of her care," Shino said tonelessly.

"Good point," Shikamaru half laughed. "Shikamaru – out," and he disconnected from the conversation. He shuffled over to the entrance and opened the door, noting that Temari rocketed out of her seat before staring at him intently for a moment.

"Oh," she flicked her gaze up and down his frame, "it's you." She crossed the room and went back to her seat as he closed the door behind him.

"Ah," he scratched the back of his head. "I see you Sand Siblings are as troublesome as ever," he drawled ambling over to her. He sighed as he sank down on the low couch, resting his forearms on his knees.

She narrowed her flashing eyes at him. "Oh?" she asked in a well-schooled tone that would've frightened any man with sense.

"Hai" he turned to her, looking her in the eyes. "Your brother getting poisoned, and us having to put you here in quarantine until we knew you were both ok," he held her eye contact a moment longer before he shrugged, closed his eyes, and leaned his head against the wall. "Troublesome."

Temari's retort was shelved as her sharp mind took in what he was telling her. Somehow it was thought that she would also have been poisoned, despite not having fought the poisoner as Kankurō did and displaying no symptoms. She had been quarantined; that indicated a biological threat. Shikamaru was in with her now. That meant she wasn't a threat. That meant they were both ok – or at least she could assume her brother had stabilized.

Shikamaru gave her a sidelong glance as she looked down to her hands. She watched quietly as his own larger hand reached over and covered her own. She simply stared at their hands for a moment before sighing heavily and leaning her head on his shoulder. He adjusted by putting an arm around her.

"I missed you," she said.

"Hn," he hummed. "Like I said," he looked down at her with a knowing smile. "Troublesome."

* * *

Tenten knocked on Neji's office door as she opened it. He turned to give stern words to whoever would disturb him in the middle of a day like today, but stopped with a frown instead.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Hinata?" he grumbled going back to the file in his hands.

"I wish – then I could head back to headquarters. Turns out I've been transferred to look after Kankurō."

Neji stopped. "Headquarters?"

Tenten grinned cheekily. "Tsunade is bringing Sakura and Hinata down to Shino's lab to discuss results," she tapped at her earpiece indicating the source of her information.

Neji straightened up. "That _is_ interesting," he mused.

"It gets better," she grinned wider.

He didn't trust that expression one little bit. "Oh?" he asked skeptically.

"Sounds like Sakura and Hinata already knew about ANBU," she whispered conspiratorially.

Neji visibly started at that comment. "How?" he asked bluntly.

Tenten shrugged. "I think they figured it out. I'm betting that means we have two new members." She watched her former teammate carefully. He was perfectly still – his face gave away nothing. She knew that look. He was pissed.

"You know," she said quietly, all teasing gone from her voice. "This might be good for Hinata. It's gotta be better than just being 'clan mother' all the time," she air quoted. Neji turned a sharp eye on her before he understood the tone of that comment.

"Perhaps," he returned cautiously.

"And who knows," Tenten headed for the door. "She might even find a few new friends – or better yet a boyfriend." She laughed at his murderous look.

"Over my dead body," he muttered.

* * *

Naruto groaned as he let the hot water sluice over him. He crossed his right hand to his left shoulder and rotated the joint experimentally. It wasn't the first time he wished that Sakura knew about the ANBU division and could patch him and Sasuke up like the old days. Not that the medical-nin on staff weren't great, but she was better. She did enough work for the legitimate ASF for Naruto to know that she had stayed the top of the game. He rested his head against the warmed tile.

They had all been in the academy as kids. Sakura's parents both worked for the ASF in civilian positions, and she had been a bright student even then. He remembered her long pink hair and the huge crush he had on her. He grudgingly also remembered the huge crush she had on Sasuke – her and everyone else. He had really hoped they'd end up on a genin team together where he planned to prove to her for once and for all how cool he was. Unfortunately, her father transferred to Suna just after they had been promoted to genin. They were 12 years old then. He and Sasuke had gone on with several members of their class to become ANBU operatives. They were already both Jōnin when they enrolled at Konoha U., and elite ones at that. It was their job to be informed, so Naruto got used to not being surprised by much. So it was with genuine and happy astonishment when he saw familiar green eyes and long pink hair across walking across the park where he and Kiba were shooting hoops before the rest of the guys arrived for a pickup basketball game.

"_Sakura!" he stopped in the middle of the court and yelled, waving wildly, knocking over Kiba. The resulting complaints were ignored as he jogged over to where she had stopped, confused to hear her name. She stared at the guy running up to her registering his strangely familiar face, wild blonde hair, bright smile, and snapping blue eyes. Her face split into the most beautiful smile he had ever seen._

"_Naruto?!" she asked, her eyes wide. She gasped as he snatched her up and spun her around before crushing her in a bear hug. "Naruto! I can't believe it's you!" She laughed at her childhood friend. "I didn't think I'd know anyone here!" _

"_You sure do," he dragged her over to the court. "Come see the gang! Hey GUYS!" He yelled. "Look who's back!" _

"_Sakura!" Kiba smiled wolfishly, the basketball tucked under his arm. "Long time no see!" _

"_Sakura!" Choji came forward, enveloping her in a big hug. "Welcome back!" _

"_No way – FOREHEAD!" _

_Sakura turned sharply and saw Ino running toward her, Shikamaru sauntering behind her carrying a picnic basket and a blanket. "INO-PIG!" she screeched and the girls met in a fierce hug._

"_When did you get back to Konoha?!" The blonde gushed._

"_Just this week – I transferred after a semester at Suna to come study under Lady Tsunade."_

_Ino's eyes went wide, "YOU'RE the new girl?!" she gasped. "Shizune was in the flower shop yesterday telling me about the outstanding transfer from Suna that got accepted into the medical-nin fast track. In fact," she grinned, "I heard that you were __invited__ to come. Man, you must really have crammed that head of yours full," she playfully tapped Sakura's forehead._

"_Wow – amazing," Naruto gaped at Sakura. _

"_Uh-oh," Shikamaru looked up. "Incoming."_

_A streak of green came racing toward them, and Lee bounded up "I am ready for our contest of YOUTH!" he cried, and then he spotted Sakura. He blinked several times before gasping and pointing at her in astonishment. "You are Haruno Sakura!" he declared with a blush as she tried to keep a straight face. "You were a year behind me in the academy!"_

"_Uh… yeah, I guess...?" Sakura looked between Lee and her friends. _

"_You are looking very youthful today!" he gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up complete with glinting smile. _

"_Th..thanks," she smiled politely. _

"_I can't believe you are back in Konoha," Naruto looped an arm over her shoulder. _

"_I can't believe how much taller everyone is," she looked up at him playfully. _

"_C'mon," Ino grabbed her hand. "Come sit and share a picnic with me while the boys start their game." _

_Naruto turned back to the court exuberantly. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted the last two people to round out the game_

"_HEY!" Naruto cupped his hands and yelled behind him. "Hurry it up, you two! You aren't gonna believe who's here!"_

_He ignored the looks that both men shot his way, but he didn't miss their expressions when they saw who was sitting with Ino. Neji just raised an eyebrow while Sasuke muttered "Annoying"_

Naruto smiled fondly as he took a deep breath of the steamy air in the shower. That was when their group finally met back up. That was the beginning of the good times. He snapped the water off and wrapped a towel around his waist before tossing another around his neck. He wandered out to the locker room area where Sasuke was sitting with this elbows on his legs, fingers steepled under his chin, staring into space. Naruto opened his own locker watching his friend from the corner of his eye. He knew Sasuke remembered. He had seen flashes of what was on his mind in their fight – that was how they communicated. He eyed a nasty bruise forming on his arm. He suspected they'd be 'talking' more now that a certain pink-haired-green-eyed doctor was back in the picture.

He looked down at his friend who was just as battered as he was. The medic-nins had heard Tsunade was coming back, so they'd only taken care of the major wounds. Naruto closed his locker, and crossed his tanned, taut arms as he leaned against it to face the stoic Uchiha.

"What are you going to do," he asked simply. Ebony eyes snapped up to him menacingly before he sighed resignedly.

"I don't know yet."

Naruto blinked twice at his friend, first in astonishment that he'd even replied, second that he was actually considering doing anything rather than ignoring the situation.

Naruto blew out a sigh as he pushed off of the locker and came to sit next to his friend, scratching the back of his head.

"It was pretty messy when you left," he half asked.

Sasuke snorted. That was an understatement. "Which time," he said bitterly.

Naruto sighed. "We've been over this, man," he looked up at the ceiling. Your parents were killed when you were 16 – it makes sense that you tried to make it right."

"But I didn't, did I," his hand went reflexively to the left side of his neck.

"It's gone now," Naruto reminded him pointedly. "And you did what you could." Sasuke stayed quiet. Naruto had stayed with him as a friend even when he had walked away from everyone. Even when the information came through ANBU at the start of their third year at KU that his parent's killer had been found. Even when he left everyone and everything behind to go for his revenge. Even when he had unwittingly stumbled into the biggest conspiracy ANBU had ever encountered. Even when he killed Danzo. Even when he'd almost killed Naruto. And even when he had left behind everything in his life to do it. Including Sakura.

He glanced over at Naruto who was staring back at him. It was Naruto who had come after him and ultimately joined him in bringing down Danzo. He had been his advocate, fighting to keep him in ANBU. He'd helped him rebuild every burnt bridge. He sighed heavily, knowing that Naruto had one more bridge he wanted to see rebuilt.

"You aren't going to let this go, are you," the Uchiha muttered, too depleted of chakra and energy to even manage his normal emotional barriers.

Naruto put a hand firmly on his shoulder. "You don't want me to," he said simply. Sasuke's eyes flashed red briefly before returning to obsidian. He didn't like to be touched and Naruto knew it. They also both knew that he was right.

"Hn."

"And you are _sure_ you aren't gay for each other?"

They snapped their heads around to see Sai leaning against the lockers with his idiotic fake grin in place. Naruto snatched his hand off of Sasuke and they both looked away awkwardly. Sai just looked at them expectantly.

"Kakashi is waiting for us." Sai watched as each man reset his features. "He wants us to clear up our debriefing before Tsunade reconvenes the meeting. He turned to leave with a wave. "You'll have to continue your romance later."

Without turning around, he deftly caught the kunai hurled at him and twirled it on his finger before adding it to the pouch on his leg. He smiled to himself. They were really starting to warm up to him.

* * *

The bar was one of the smallest and dingiest in all of Amegakure, which was saying something. The low-level shinobi that wandered in to sit at the worn, uneven bar sat at his regular seat and soon had his regular drink in his hand. Although conditions had improved drastically over the years, there was still a despondency in some of the areas of the rain soaked village. A traveler strode in, wearing a heavy black cloak – not too unusual in that part of the country. He walked behind the tired man and sat a few seats down.

The bartender came from the back, and nodded to his regular customer. "Doing ok, Atsushi?"

"Hai," he sighed wearily. He checked his watch. He had 20 minutes before his second job started.

"Wife and kids?" the bartender asked, cleaning a glass.

"Same."

The bartender didn't look up, but quietly asked "Kin?"

"Better. Doctor says that he will make a full recovery. Just have to keep working this other job to afford the next round of treatment." He stared into the hot tea he was drinking. The bartender slid him a plate of food, and he tucked in, quietly.

The bartender finally noticed the traveler seemed to be looking around, and watched him warily. "What will you have?"

"Is this the Sly Salamander?" he asked in a deep voice.

The bartender shook his head. "No – that is across town."

"Gomen," he said politely. "I must've gotten turned around"

The bartender shrugged. "Happens all the time. Anything for the road?"

"Ah. A sake to go." The bartender nodded, wrapped up the bottle, and handed it to the man. The traveler paid and left a generous tip. "For your trouble," he said, standing to leave.

The bartender nodded at the tip and smiled. "Not a problem. You just bought this guy here his evening drink."

The man stopped. "Then I'd better cover his dinner," he said handing the bartender a handful of coins, "since I'll be taking mine elsewhere."

Atsushi stared at the man, "That's not-" he stammered.

"Everyone deserves a break now and then," the stranger said over his shoulder before walking out into the pouring rain.

The bartender smiled to himself. Amegakure was blanketed by rain, but there was still hope.

Meanwhile the stranger made his way across town to a clean but simple inn, and went up to the sparse room. He closed the door and then placed a paper seal on the door before activating a sealing jutsu on the room.

"It's safe," he looked down to the floor.

His shadow seemed to writhe with a life of its own, as a tall, white-haired man seemed to un-melt from the floor. The man in the cloak shook his head slightly.

"A bottle of sake?" he asked skeptically, handing over the paper bag.

"Ah, well," the man took it, with a hand behind his head, "Since I have control once I merge my shadow, I figured I might as well get a drink."

"Hn." He took off his soaking wet cloak and hung it near the door, watching the other man break out the sake.

Neither man mentioned that he had also gone out of his way to pay for that man's dinner.

Sensing the turn of his thoughts, the white-haired man sat down on the only chair in the room. "Never underestimate the power of hope," he said sagely, taking a swig out of the bottle. "Now." He drew the back of his hand across his mouth. "Let's discuss our other little problem.

"Hai, Jiraiya."

* * *

Konohamaru looked down at the slip of paper in his hand with incredulity. He had excused himself from Hiashi and Genma – actually, he had been dismissed as they had other matters to discuss – and he made his way out to the general waiting area. There, sitting with perfect posture and composure, was Hyūga Hanabi. Konohamaru scratched the back of his head and started to make his way over. "Now or never," he muttered to himself, cramming the piece of paper into his pocket.

"Hanabi," he heard a familiar voice from the other end of the room.

Kurenai-sensei was walking over to the young woman, who smiled brightly in return. "Sensei," her face was transformed by the simple smile. Konohamaru had a feeling he was seeing something most people didn't see. The mentor hugged the younger woman, and Konohamaru did a mental headslap. He should've asked Kurenai to begin with. She was close to the older Hyūga daughter – she would've been an obvious route to the girl.

Kurenai looked up and saw him, beckoning him over.

"Konohamaru!" she looked to Hanabi. "Have you met Asuma's nephew?" she asked Hanabi. Hanabi turned to look to the approaching young man, her unreadable eyes fixed on him.

"I'm your nephew, too, Aunt Kurenai," Konohamaru teased her lightly, nodding to the wedding ring on her finger.

Kurenai smiled fondly at him. "True. I-"

"Kurenai," a voice called over her shoulder.

She turned to Kakashi heading their way. "Kakashi," she greeted him. "Good to see you. I was just going to ask Hanabi to join me for lunch while Hiashi finishes his meeting. Care to join us?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Sorry, Kurenai, but we're needed – there is a special Jōnin meeting to go over security for upcoming season of festivals."

"That's today?" she asked sadly. "I'm sorry, Hanabi – we'll have to catch up another time." Hanabi nodded, but her disappointment was uncharacteristically evident. "Unless," Kurenai tapped the side of her cheek with her finger. "Konohamaru, would you mind terribly taking my place?" she asked. "The ASF cafeteria is secure enough; I'm sure Hiashi won't mind, if that's ok with you, Hanabi?"

Hanabi looked a bit taken a back, but recovered quickly. "I wouldn't want to impose," she said politely, flicking a glance at Konohamaru.

"It's no imposition," he said easily, shifting his backpack slightly. "I was going to go grab lunch any way."

"Alright then," Hanabi nodded. "See you soon, Sensei," she added warmly.

Kurenai and Kakashi exited out of the double doors. And Konohamaru waited a beat before a slow smile spread across his face, and he slid a look over to Hanabi.

"So," he said, mischief in his bright eyes. "Where do you _really _want to go for lunch?"

* * *

A/N:

Thank you for those who have taken time to read and review - I am sincerely grateful.


	4. Chapter 4: Watch What Happens

A/N: I own nothing. That is why it is called fanfiction. If I owned it, it would just be fiction, and I would be paid.

**You Must Believe in Spring**

**Chapter Four: Watch What Happens**

"Festival meeting." Kurenai stated bluntly as soon as Konohamaru and Hanabi were out of earshot, and they were safely on the other side of the doors.

"Just helping a junior operative out," Kakashi shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered down the hall. Kurenai watched a moment before catching up.

"That 'junior operative' is my nephew," she said conversationally. "More to the point he is Asuma's nephew. We just sent him off with the future leader of the Hyūga clan." She narrowed her eyes at her old classmate. "What are you up to, and how much grief is this going to cause me once Asuma finds out?"

Kakashi put his hands up in surrender.

"He's been assigned to keep an eye on Hanabi until we know more about these threats on Kekkei genkai users. You know how close Hyūga is to her at all times, so we thought an of-age operative might go unnoticed on campus. Luckily, Hiashi came to Genma today and expressed the desire for an operative around his daughter's age to keep tabs so she could imagine she had more freedom away from her bodyguards."

"So he was double assigned," Kurenai asked incredulously.

"I'm betting he'll be triple."

"What?"

"Hiashi wouldn't have come to us if Hanabi hadn't given him reason. What do you want to bet she tries to convince Konohamaru to fill in as a 'guard' to keep her dad at bay?"

Kurenai rolled her eyes. "I'm going to have to call Hinata. This is way too complicated."

"Speaking of Hinata and complicated," Kakashi continued, "word is that she's been called in with Sakura to help Shino analyze some results, and that they both already knew about ANBU."

Kurenai jolted "How is that possible?"

Kakashi's eyes crinkled in a smile, as he laughed with a hand behind his head. "Guess we weren't as stealthy as we thought!"

* * *

Tsunade led Ino, Sakura, Shizune and Hinata to a meeting room and prep area off of Shino's lab. Hinata put down her half of the scrolls she was carrying for Shizune, and turned to make sure that Shizune could handle her own load.

Tsunade pushed a button on the wall. "Shino – we're here."

"Ah," he answered back. "Go into the prep area and put on the protective attire. I don't want to risk complications."

Tsunade grimaced at that. Soon the women were in thin white biohazard suits with a specially constructed mask similar to what doctors wore designed to keep them safe from airborne pathogens. Sakura felt her heart lurch at the familiar fan symbol on the equipment. She shook her head to clear it. They were made by Uchiha Industries, not hand crafted by Sasuke. Get over it.

Shino let them in and lead them over to a long work bench with several microscopes, test tubes, and requisite bubbling vials of stuff going up tubes.

"How's the mad scientist today?" Ino asked innocently.

"That is an inaccurate question, in addition to not being that funny," Shino stated. "That is because, I am neither a mad scientist, nor are you interested in my personal well-being. Rather, I am a researcher and entomologist, and I specialize in the pathology of infectious diseases, and you want to know what my relevant findings are."

"Wow." Sakura looked back and forth between Shino and Ino. "Looks like he's got your number alright, Ino." She turned to the self-described researcher and entomologist and smiled. That solved the bug mystery Tsunade hinted at; so he was an entomologist? No big deal, right? "Good to be working with you again, Shino," she nodded. "Please tell me what we are dealing with."

Shino nodded. "It seems that we are indeed looking at a bioengineered pathogen," he motioned to the microscope. "It is a simple organism that has been designed to produce this specific toxin when exposed to the high-chakra flow of a trained shinobi. It feeds off of the chakra and creates the toxin."

"How did it get in Kankurō?" Sakura asked.

Shino indicated another microscope. "It appears it was an airborne pathogen with a limited lifespan," he explained. The sample in Temari must have been breathed in while she transported Kankuro, but only a few of the inhaled pathogens were viable. They appear to already be dead within her system.

Sakura listened, thoughtfully. "So an airborne pathogen targeting and feeding off of an advanced chakra system. Any modification to the surface receptor molecules?"

Shino might've smiled at her hypothesis - or he might have done absolutely nothing. It was hard to say.

"No. This pathogen was designed to feed once it interacted with a well-developed and strong chakra network. It is not seeking out specific genetic markers."

"So it isn't why Hinata needed a vaccine. It isn't seeking out Kekkei genkai," she stated rather than asked.

Shino looked to Tsunade for a second before answering. "There appear to be some pathogens that target that particular attribute – but this isn't one of them."

"Have we analyzed the toxin?"

"Hai," Shino brought up a 3-D projection of a detailed analysis of the poison and its molecular structure.

Sakura sucked in sharply. "Chiyo-baasama." She said quickly.

Tsunade shook her head, "This isn't one of hers."

"No," Sakura nodded, "It isn't. But she encountered it in her research. It was in the records from the time of the Fifth Kazekage/Fifth Hokage. It seems a Konoha medic-nin actually developed the antidote. I studied under her when I was in Suna; I've seen this poison analysis before." She stopped and frowned. "But I don't understand. Not only is the originator of this poison long dead, the poison wasn't made from a pathogen. It didn't exist in nature. How did whoever created this poison get their hands on this formula and go so far as to have a microorganism produce it?!"

Shino pulled up another two projections. "This appears to be the antidote," he noted. "And this," he nodded "is a list of the Suna plants that would have been needed to create it."

"Why Suna plants?" Shizune asked.

"That was what the medic-nin used to create the antidote," Sakura explained.

"Not only that," Shino noted, "but the originator of the poison must have been from Suna as you say. That is because, if you look closely, there is a single naturally formed compound found only in a specific cacti variation. The antidote requires the same compound. That is how I determined the origin of the poison as well as the most likely components."

Sakura nodded. "Very impressive, Shino. Chiyo actually used this compound as a case study when I began working with her, so I can verify that you got it right. In fact, I have no doubt that the Suna branch of the ASF – or," she smirked "most likely the ANBU division, will have detailed information on it."

Shino sweat dropped. "A-ANBU?" he asked as if hoping he misheard. "I don't know what you are –"

"She knows," Tsunade interrupted.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I can't imagine that she would have let that research be public. I had to sign about a million pages of confidentiality agreements as well as listen to daily threats about how if I broke the agreements she could poison me and no one would be able to trace it. Well – at least on the days she wasn't playing possum," Sakura smiled. At the strange looks surrounding her, she shook her hand dismissively. "Ino," she turned to her friend. "Do we have these plants in the R&D center?"

Ino looked over the list. "Some of them," she nodded. "I have to check on the cacti. We actually have several pre-extracted samples from cacti in the lab. We simply can't reproduce all of the optimal conditions for those kinds of plants, and they often have to be full grown before you can extract those components in any usable quantity."

Shizune flipped open her checklist. "I think we have those, Ino," she scanned her list. "We got an order in from the Suna division last week."

"Excellent," Tsunade interjected. "Now, Shino. The pathogen itself; you said it has a very short lifespan – is it your opinion that we do not need to treat this with an antibiotic?"

Shino nodded "Ah. The poison is so potent, the engineer must have been counting on the bacteria being able to introduce a critical and fatal level before it could be killed off. The design isn't perfect. Not only does the bacteria become non-viable if left without a host chakra network, the poison itself is actually toxic to the bacteria. The good news is that once the poison reaches the optimal level to incapacitate the victim, the bacteria can't sustain itself. The bad news is that the poison has to reach that high of a level to eliminate the problem."

"Not as long as we have an antidote," Sakura nodded to the third projection. "We just have to let the infection run its course while keeping the toxin level down in the system. Next question," she looked to Shino and those around her. "Why Kankurō?"

"He was hunting down the person who tried to assassinate Gaara," Ino offered.

Sakura shook her head. "If the attacker wanted to get Gaara, seems to me it could've been done pretty easily with an airborne pathogen. Chiyo is gone now; chances are the poison would've gone unrecognized and untreated. Looks more like they lured Kankurō away, poisoned him, and then bothered to tell him he had 3 days to get the toxin out of his system. It doesn't add up."

Everyone was very still, mouths slightly agape. Ino turned to Tsunade, "And she wasn't working with us before now, because why?" she arched an eyebrow.

Sakura met her teacher's approving look with one of determination and smiled. She was pretty sure she was going to like working here.

* * *

Kakashi sat around the meeting table, idly flipping through Sasuke's report. He glanced up at Sai who was watching the two bruised and battered friends, curiously. Kakashi leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "This is some pretty heavy stuff, Sasuke," he finally said.

The Uchiha just nodded. As far as his teammates knew, he had gone on 'a business trip' to one of the UI branches in the Land of Earth to inspect the facility. The genetic engineers there were the most advanced in researching non-viable pathogens for the treatment of disease, and had developed several strains that were the equivalent of stem cells for bacterial and viral treatments. These pathogens were blank slates for DNA treatments, and had been a major breakthrough in the field.

Therefore, when word was received that a small batch had been reported missing – presumably stolen – from the laboratories, it was worth investigating.

"Ah."

Naruto finally thunked his head on the table. "Ok. I admit it. I don't get it. What is wrong with a few missing germs that can't even get you sick?"

Kakashi did well not to smile. "These particular 'germs' as you call them are designed to be manipulated. In short, you could use them to treat an illness or cause one. There is a strong likelihood that it is connected to the attacks on shinobi and Kekkei genkai."

Sai frowned. "There is more, isn't there," he said slowly. Kakashi looked at him sharply. "This isn't the Iwagakure laboratory. It isn't a main UI facility; I've never heard of Sasuke having to go there before now."

Kakashi looked appraisingly at Sai. "You're right," he brought his elbows down to the table. "It isn't a main UI facility. In fact, it isn't a UI facility at all. It is an ANBU outpost and research center. Sasuke lets us list it under UI for the sake of a paper trail, and to deflect suspicion. It is isolated outside of Iwagakure to eliminate civilian interaction."

Naruto's face scrunched in confusion. "Iwagakure is pretty isolated as it is," he scratched the side of his head. "Why bother having an outpost _outside_ of Iwagakure? Is there anything even _in_ the land of Earth outside of Iwagakure?"

Sai stiffened. "Kusagakure," he held up one finger, "and Otogakure."

Naruto sat bolt upright, not at the first location – the Village Hidden in the Grass was not a threat. But Otogakure…

"Sound," he gasped. He looked significantly at Sasuke, who kept his face neutral. But Naruto knew that neutral face. That was a pissed-off-neutral face. "I thought they were shut down," he turned back to Kakashi, stating rather than asking. "There is no way that they are back up and running."

Their commander grimaced – or at least his visible eye and eyebrow indicated he was grimacing. "There have been several disturbances lately that we decided to investigate."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke. "That is what you were doing."

"No," Kakashi spoke again. "He had a solo mission to checking in with the team that we sent to investigate. His ties to the company make his presence in the Land of Earth the least suspicious."

Sai and Naruto both looked at their teammates expectantly. The ordeal with Sound was before Sai joined up with them from ROOT, so he wasn't as intimately familiar with situation. Naruto, though narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't make sense. Teme here is the best person to send sniffing around for anything Sound related – even the old farts on the council don't hate him as much anymore," he pointed out. The Uchiha glowered at him and was about to acidly point out that Uchiha's most definitely don't 'sniff around' like an Inuzuka, but Naruto suddenly sat up and pointed comically at Kakashi. "Th-that means the other possible person to send was-"

"Mitarashi Anko," Kakashi affirmed. Naruto shuddered, and this time Sai understood the reaction. That was one agent that creeped Naruto out. She might be a damned good agent, but she was also the woman who had gleefully terrorized his class during the first chunin exams. There wasn't a time Naruto worked with her that he a) didn't think she was still as scary as hell b) was secretly relieved she was on their side. "She led an infiltration and reconnaissance team into the Otogakure area three weeks ago. Her last communication was one week ago."

"Who was on the team," Sai asked.

Kakashi ticked the members off on his fingers. "Aburame Muta, Hyūga Tokuma, and Ranka."

"Pretty impressive," Naruto admitted. "Those are some experienced agents. Why are we worried that we haven't heard from them in just one week? If they did infiltrate somewhere, maybe they can't communicate with us easily."

Kakashi drummed his fingers on the table. "There were some… extenuating circumstances that raised suspicions here," he said nonchalantly. "That isn't the relevant part of the mission for this discussion."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke, "Did you find them?"

Sasuke crossed his arms before answering. "We aren't sure."

Naruto looked at him, confused. "How can you not be sure if you found a bug user, a white-eyed sensory type, a squinty eyed shinobi, and a psychopathic dango-obsessed kunoichi?"

Sasuke swallowed deliberately, his eyes hard.

"Because they haven't finished the autopsy."

* * *

It was raining in Amegakure. Jiraiya smirked to himself. Of course it was raining in Amegakure. It always rained in Amegakure. He laced his fingers and stretched his arms over his head before pounding his fist on the top of his shoulder a few times. He looked down to the scroll in front of him, and began writing again.

_No word on missing team. Activity underground. Spy in place._

He paused and read his own brief scrawl before hovering a hand over the text. Making a series of hand seals, he activated a jutsu on the scroll, and the words disappeared.

He stood up and stretched again, looking up to the ceiling. When the previous director of the ASF began considering retirement, he had approached Jiraiya about becoming the next director. Jiraiya had shaken his head sagely, hands in the air. He knew that his own connections and ability to gather information would be far more useful outside of an office. He knew it as surely as he knew Tsunade would be the most logical person to take over after his former mentor. He had vowed then to do all in his power to protect Konoha and the ASF/ANBU. It was the least he could do after…

His eyes slid over to his desk where the scroll still lay open. He watched as new words flowed across the page in a confident hand.

_Understood. Return. New developments. _

He read, rubbing his chin. "New developments" covered a wide range of ground. He started to roll the parchment up when another message appeared.

_Be careful. Direct order._

He smiled at that. Perhaps the title no longer applied to Konoha as it had in generations past, but the Hokage was certainly not someone to whom you said no.

_Understood. _

He gently touched a worn hand to the fading words. There were so few of his generation left. He would do anything in his power to protect those that were dear to him.

Shaking his head, he rolled up the scroll and put it in his pack. He summoned a small toad to sit on his desk, expectantly.

"Please tell Shima-sama it is time," he asked, touching each seal at the door in succession. The toad 'poofed' out of existence, and moments later, the towering sage did as well. Hours later, a shadowy figure would inspect the room and find no traces of his having been there. The seals had erased all signs of foreign chakra when he left, completely masking his trail from those who would try to follow.

"It appears he wasn't here," the man said into his earpiece.

"Keep searching," a low voice instructed. "I know he's been in the area."

"Hai." The shadow slipped out of the room and into the rain to do his master's bidding.

* * *

It was decided that Sakura and Hinata were not to return to the hospital today. Rather, they were to report immediately to Shizune for their physical, and then to Inoichi for their psych exams. Tsunade dismissed Ino to her lab to begin gathering the ingredients for the antidote, and told Shino to contact her the moment he found anything else.

After that, she steeled herself, and made her way down to the morgue. Uchiha Sasuke had returned from his mission and handed her the kind of scroll she hated seeing. It was used by the sealing corps to store and transport the bodies of the fallen – usually those with a valuable Kekkei genkai. Every high level ANBU had to know not only how to conduct this type of jutsu, but to leave no trace of their own bodies, should they fall in battle. The fact that there was anything to transport back was grimly telling. Tsunade set her jaw firmly and strode through the heavy double doors. Yūgao was preparing the scroll while several medic-nin stood by. Tsunade nodded to the woman before stepping back to oversee the preparations. She looked sadly at what was before her. Four seals. Each seal was placed on a different examining table, and released by the medic-nins. The bodies that appeared on the table were disfigured and burned; extensive testing would be required. Tsunade went from station to station, casting an expert and critical eye over each corpse. She felt her eyes widen and then narrow again.

"When was the last time we heard from Anko," she asked over her shoulder.

"One week ago," the answer came.

Tsunade shook her head. "These bodies have been dead longer than a week," she noted.

"There was suspicion that the last transmission wasn't actually from Anko," Yūgao said, eyes sweeping over the bodies.

Tsunade was aware of this, but the bodies still didn't make sense to her. "I want a full autopsy. Find out who these people are, and how they died. She flipped through the charts of the missing team. They had the means to identify the dead at ANBU, but protocol demanded that members of certain families like the Aburame's and Hyūga's be notified and a clan representative sent to make a formal verification. Shino would be authorized to identify any of his clan's dead, as well as run a cross scan on any insect matter to make sure there was no mistake. She absently flipped to Tokuma's file, and her breath caught sharply.

"What is this?" she demanded of Yūgao motioning to the clipboard.

The woman seemed to be anticipating the question. "You can check the master records; that isn't a typo," she grimaced as she looked to the four bodies in the room.

Tsunade tapped her foot impatiently. "Then can anyone explain to me why the verification contact for Tokuma is Hinata? Surely Neji or Hiashi are supposed to-," but Yūgao was shaking her head.

"Those were his wishes specifically," she said, bracing herself for the reaction she knew was coming.

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger, and reminded herself that she had too much work to do to lose her temper. "And do we know _why_," she ground out between clenched teeth.

Yūgao knew. Tsunade shot her a sharp look, so she swallowed her pride, her better judgment, and a whole host of other things that threatened to follow her morning oatmeal. "Turns out he requested her specifically before leaving for this mission," she handed Tsunade a file. "And he left this," she took a scroll out, "to be given to Hinata in the event his body was recovered." Tsunade stared down at the scroll with a bitter taste in her mouth. She knew by looking there was a chakra seal; only Hinata would be able to open it. Chances were, he had gone so far as to use techniques so the message could only be read by the Byakugan. Tsunade tapped a blood red nail on the seal of the scroll.

"And how, precisely," she said in a low, dangerous voice, "was he permitted to list a non-ANBU member as a contact for an ANBU related matter? And why," she glared at Yūgao pointing to the signature on the file, "did you sign off on this." It was not a question. It was a demand for an explanation.

Yūgao tried to keep her voice from shaking. "He… He invoked an old clan-clause, he-"

"That allows a leading member of the head family to step in all matters where another clan member cannot be found," Tsunade barked. "The Hyūga clan is extensive; there is no reason to invoke-"

"He asked for the clan-mother," she blurted out, her cheeks burning under the scrutiny of this powerful woman.

Tsunade's argument strangled in her throat, but she continued to glare daggers.

"The clause was added some time after the Fourth Shinobi war," Yugao continued, mouth dry. "It is oddly similar to the Hyūga situation right now. The clan heir was a younger sibling. The older sister married outside of the clan, but still retained the role of clan-mother so that her sister could focus on being the clan leader. "She was married to-"

"I know who she married," Tsunade snapped. "And so he granted her position overriding authority in all things clan related," she sighed, the memory of the odd rule returning. It was such a specific rule that had almost never come up. In fact, Tsunade was certain that it hadn't come up since the time of the clan-mother in question. "Did he tell you _why_ he wanted to do this?" she finally asked with resignation.

The purple haired kunoichi shook her head slowly. "I think he hoped it would never be an issue," she said quietly. "But he was most insistent," she met Tsunade's eyes. "He must have had a very good reason."

Tsunade looked ominously at the scroll in her hand. "It had better have been an _excellent_ reason."

She shoved the clipboard to an unprepared medic-nin, jammed the file under her arm, spun on her heel and slammed her way out of the double doors before pounding her way down to her office, tiny cracks in the floor forming under each forcible footstep. She flipped the scroll and file onto her desk, yanked her door shut behind her, and had a bit of satisfaction at the resulting SLAM. It had taken engineers weeks to design doors that didn't break every time she had a streak of temper. The cost of the research and production actually balanced out the amount of doors she used to cycle through.

She leaned back against the door with a sigh, looking defeated. She closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and tried to sort through everything in her mind. There were too many connections for this to all be unrelated, she decided. The disturbances from Otogakure, the engineering of biological weapons targeting shinobi, the missing team that may or may not currently be in the morgue… She rubbed her temples, keeping her eyes closed.

Then there was Sakura and Hinata in the mix.

She should've brought Sakura on board long before now, she knew that. She also knew that both her student and a certain Uchiha were about to be forced into working together. Well, that couldn't be helped; she had helped delay that little time bomb as long as was possible. Sasuke had inadvertently unearthed Danzo's treachery, and the discovery had rocked the ASF/ANBU violently. He had also been instrumental in rebuilding the department by working tirelessly with Team Kakashi, or just with Naruto, or on deadly solo missions to shore up their organization. He had also come of age to take over Uchiha Industries, and he had poured himself into the work. Tsunade recognized his efforts, but she also saw what was behind them. She saw a similar grim determination in her own student who had sacrificed almost every facet of a personal life to master and excel in her field. Sasuke had needed to leave, Tsunade could understand that now. However, it wasn't Tsunade that was going to need to deal with this. It was Sakura.

He had the good sense of mind to allow her to sense his presence before reaching out and tipping her chin up gently. "Awfully heavy thoughts, Tsunade," his gruff voice was gentle in the quiet office. "I can always tell," he tapped his finger on the small diamond on her forehead. She opened her eyes and smiled halfheartedly at Jiraiya. She pushed away from the door with a curt nod, and went to sit behind her desk. He watched her as she grabbed two bottles from a drawer in her desk, and handed him one.

A slow smile crept across his face as she opened her bottle of sake. "Report."

* * *

Kakashi had dismissed his team with news that Tsunade would not reconvene the meeting before tomorrow. His team was back in the agent locker room, getting ready to leave. Sasuke was putting on his suit coat while Naruto sat on the bench between lockers, still blown away by their earlier meeting, and shaking his head in disbelief. A microwave from the small adjoining lounge area gave a shrill cry, and Naruto hurried through the door to remove his instant ramen. Sasuke 'Tch'ed' at the blonde as he gathered his things pointedly ignoring Sai who leaned against the lockers, arms crossed, no doubt waiting for the first opportunity to begin awkwardly questioning his team mates about their relationship.

"W-wait! You can't go in there!" Naruto called out as the door to the lounge flew open and Ino stormed in, followed by a scrambling Naruto trying not to drop his too-hot bowl of ramen. She spotted the Uchiha, and narrowed her eyes. He watched with what might have been confusion as she crossed the room to him in three quick steps, and he inadvertently took a half step back into the locker room bench.

"Sit," she instructed with a quick shove, her eyes boring into his as he plopped unceremoniously onto the bench, Naruto watched bug-eyed, and Sai looked troubled. Sasuke was nothing if not surprised. Had he not been so distracted today, she never would have been able to even touch him, much less catch him off balance. He hid the wince as her strong hand happened to shove right into a particularly large bruise Naruto had given him.

He glared up at the blonde woman, Naruto choked on his ramen, and Sai smiled politely. He raised his dark eyebrows with a murderous look, giving her a chance to explain before he retaliated.

"Spare me," she bit back, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "I only have about 5 minutes before I have to get back to the lab, so listen carefully." She crossed her arms and stared at him coldly. "I want to give you a heads up." Black eyebrows went, if possible, higher toward his hairline.

"Sakura knows about ANBU," she said frankly. He felt something in him tighten painfully as she continued, "but she doesn't know about you."

Naruto sputtered behind her "B-but- how could she know about-"

Ino shot Naruto a look, and flicked a hand at him impatiently. "Not important." She turned back to the raven haired once-avenger. "She figured it out. She was always too smart for her own good," Ino muttered. "Fact remains: she now knows, and that means she is going to find out about _you_." She narrowed her eyes giving weight to that last pronoun. "It's been five years. You have no idea what those five years were like for her, but I do." If possible her eyes narrowed further. "She is my best friend and my roommate, and I'll be damned if you are going to do anything as remarkably stupid as you did back then."

Sasuke felt his temper flare up, but Naruto tried to jump to his defense, "Ino, you know that what he did – what we all did –"

"I know it, Naruto," she didn't so much as glance at the sputtering blonde, refusing to break eye contact with Sasuke. "I'm not saying there weren't justifications, but there were consequences. When was the last time you spoke with Sakura, Naruto?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "N-not for a while now."

Sasuke turned to glare at his good friend. He instinctively knew that 'a while' was not 'five years ago.' He'd bet money that the dobe had known exactly where she was working, and for whom, and for how long, and had Never. Said. A. Damned. Word.

"We all have to work together now," Ino said flatly, commanding his attention once again. "She is going to be key in the upcoming investigations, which means that she will probably be working with you, specifically," she told Sasuke. For once, the Uchiha had nothing to say. The shock on his face must have registered with her, because Ino sighed in exasperation putting the palm of her hand to her forehead wearily. "Look. Even though you left. Even after everything, she made it. She's probably even forgiven you. She _will_ forgive you when she knows why you went," she held up a hand to stop whatever comment he had, "and she _deserves_ to know why you went."

Sasuke couldn't argue.

"Hn."

Ino looked at him before continuing. "That part won't be so bad." He looked up to her with some unidentifiable emotion. "The bad part will be explaining why you never told her you were back." Sasuke's eyes widened as she leaned in closer, her face directly in his, invading his personal space with a total disregard for the venomous aura gathering about him. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear to you," her voice was low, and eyes were glittering slits. "You might be one of the best agents we have around here," she watched him mask a smirk, "but you make one fucking wrong move, and I personally guarantee that nobody will be able to piece your mind back together. Ever. Do you understand me?" Her blue eyes bored malevolently into his, her naked threat hanging in the air between them. Sasuke held her fierce stare for what seemed to his teammates to be an eternity before giving the most imperceptible of nods. Sai and Naruto visibly exhaled as Ino straightened up slowly. "Good," she said in a steely whisper. "I'm glad that we understand one another." With a final knowing glare, she turned on her heel and made the kind of exit that would have had most men staring whether or not their lives had just been threatened. Sasuke stared at the door that swung closed behind her, and perhaps the first time in his life had a begrudging but healthy respect for the inheritor of the Yamanaka bloodline

Sai watched with an open mouth while Naruto gave a low whistle, absently poking at his ramen. "Wow."

The word seemed to hang in the air between them all, as if it was all any of them could say while they all stared dumbly at the now-still door.

"Better not screw this one up, teme," Naruto advised as his team mate looked over to him stone-faced. "That's the first time I've ever worried that someone might beat me or Tsunade to kicking the crap out of you, much less do a better job of it."

"Tch" was all that was said in response as he jerked his head to the side, but there was a slight flush that indicated that Naruto wasn't the only one that took Ino's words as being deadly serious.

Sai was still staring at the door, blinking wildly. He had no idea how to process what he had just seen, and could not for the life of him figure out why his own pulse was racing after watching Ino in action.

He turned back to his teammates, desperate for some kind of explanation, but found nothing but silence from either of them.

A low chuckle broke the silence, and both Sasuke and Sai stared at Naruto. "I can't believe Ino just waltzed into the men's locker room to bust your balls, teme," a slow smile spread across his face. "I've never seen anything like that."

Sai suddenly snapped his head up and quipped, "That's what she said!"

Both men turned to stare at him. "Did I do that wrong?" he asked, frowning in confusion. "Tenten advised me to try to stop always talking about how you two don't have penises and perhaps use that particular line instead."

Naruto gaped at him. "Advised?"

Sai nodded. "Most emphatically. Her hand was on her gun – I assume that she meant the advice most sincerely."

Naruto kept barely his face composed. "I'll bet."

"Idiots," Sasuke gave a sigh of frustration and stormed past the two of them, for once grateful for Sai's glaring social awkwardness. There was no telling how long he would've sat there in shock that _Ino_ of all people had threatened _him_, and that he knew she was deadly serious.

Naruto and Sai watched him leave with a certain empathy. This was _seriously_ not his day.

* * *

Hinata had just called Ko to let him know she was fine, and not to worry; she'd call him when it was time to go home. She turned back to Moreno Ibiki apologetically. "Sorry," she said in her whisper of a voice.

"It's fine," he said, shuffling some papers. "The phones distributed through the hospital are the same ones we distribute here. Both you and Sakura have been on our secure networks for quite some time; just in case."

If Hinata was surprised, she didn't show it. As the daughter of the head of the Hyūga clan, and even as the former heir, she knew that she had been under some kind of security for most of her life. There were still those that coveted the Byakugan and its secrets, which made her a target. She had actually just been apologizing for having to make a phone call during their conversation, not for a potential breach in security. "P-please continue," she said politely, returning the phone to her pocket.

"As I was saying, due to your family's longstanding involvement in the ASF and ANBU, it is probably no surprise that we already have extensive knowledge of your background."

Hinata wished that she could say otherwise, but she quietly shook her head and he continued.

"The same with Dr. Haruno," he said, folding his hands in front of him and meeting her gaze. "As Tsunade's student and the daughter of a civilian employee, we have had a file on her for quite some time." He sat back in his chair. "I am sorry – that is just the way we have to work here."

Hinata looked at her hands. "I-I understand," she replied.

"The good news is, there are no red flags or concerns to hinder you being granted clearance," he reached in his desk for a large envelope. "Let's go over what we will be giving you."

Hinata nodded again, and vaguely wondered what she was going to tell her father – if anything. She glanced up feeling rather than seeing that Neji was nearby. They met eyes through the window to the office in which she was sitting, and an understanding passed between them. Whatever this was, at least she wasn't alone.

The same might be said for Sakura, who was being brought into a different room by Yamanaka Inoichi, who she had just found out was a leading figure in the intelligence and interrogation units of ANBU. "No wonder we never got away with anything as kids," she muttered as she took a seat across from the man she had known her whole life as the father of her best friend.

The man gave a sympathetic chuckle. "You were good kids," he said, flipping through her file. "We never had to interfere too much."

Sakura sighed and leaned back in her chair. "So let me get this straight. You are going to use a jutsu known only to your clan to go flipping through my memories to make sure that I am psychologically fit to be a member of ANBU."

Inoichi had the grace to look mildly unsettled. "That is about it, yes."

Sakura continued to stare up at the ceiling. "And you can pretty much see everything that my mind has recorded," she stated flatly. "Man, I hope you like medical textbooks, because I spent the last five years cramming them into my skull." She transferred her gaze from a fascinating speck on the ceiling to the face of her friend's dad. "Ino can do this too, can't she."

Inoichi seemed to ponder that statement. "This particular jutsu is not one she uses. I am guessing you are about to ask me why you and my daughter seem to be able to 'get inside each other's heads,' am I right?"

Sakura's eyes were wide.

"No," he put his hands up with another soft chuckle. "I didn't just go snooping through your thoughts. I am an expert in reading body language and I've known you most of your life. Ino and you are best friends; that is a connection that doesn't require secret jutsus but is no less powerful." He took a moment and folded his hands in front of him. "Remember who your friends are," he said, holding her gaze steadily. "Remember the relationships you have and hang on to them tightly. These will pull you through more than any training or jutsu you might learn here."

His sincerity startled her, and for a moment she saw the kindness of a father reaching out to a daughter, not a higher up advising a new hire.

"We should get started," he said kindly.

"Hai," she nodded as she sat up a little straighter. It was time to move forward. She had worked her whole life to make sure she was no longer left behind, and it was time to see how well she had done.

* * *

Hanabi looked around the restaurant, while sipping on the brightly colored straw of her giant soda. Konohamaru watched her take it all in, startling herself when she made a giant slurping sound as she sucked up the last of her beverage. She blinked twice and stared at the drink in surprise, and he jerked his chin to the cup.

"Need a refill?" he asked, standing up. He didn't wait for her answer, but instead relieved her of her cup, and stepped to the side to get her more to drink while using the excuse to scan the room without appearing to do so. He'd purposely positioned himself to be able to see who was coming and going, to keep an eye on the beverages (to make sure hers wasn't tampered with,) the kitchens (make sure the food made a beeline to them) and to keep an eye on the restrooms. He had been smart enough to text Moegi, and she had rolled her eyes as she passed him on her way to hang out in the girl's room until lunch was over. Hey, a mission is a mission, but you can't just go following the Hyūga heiress into the bathroom at a pizza joint without a few eyebrows being raised. (Or getting your ass handed to you by a girl who had been taught the gentle fist technique since she was able to walk.)

He made his way back to the table.

"I gotta say," he handed her the cup, and looked around the room, "of all of the places I thought you might pick, this wasn't one of them."

Hanabi might've flinched. "You don't like it?" she asked distantly.

Konahamaru smiled brightly. "Just the opposite. I love it. What's not to love about crazy decor and a fantastic pizza selection? I just wouldn't have put it down as your cup of tea." He kicked his chair out and took a seat.

"You mean it isn't snobby enough," she said with an arched eyebrow.

Konohamaru should've treaded carefully at that tone, but something about her reaction made him smile lopsidedly. "Something like that," he laughed lightly, and was pleased (relieved) to see she didn't take offense. "Or at the very least I would've guessed you'd order a salad. You look waaaay too healthy to be downing a pie with that many toppings on it," he nodded to the monster of a pizza in between them that she had selected from the menu.

She took a defiant slurp of her soda before putting the cup down and tracing the patterned Styrofoam absently with a finger.

"I've wanted to come here since I was a kid," she finally admitted. "People…" she stopped herself. "People always looked so happy eating here," she shrugged. "And it looked like the kind of place where protocol isn't an issue."

Konohamaru looked around at the over-stimulating, borderline psychedelic décor. "I can see where you'd think that," he drawled.

"My birthday is in 3 days," she said quietly. "I'm turning 20. It will be a big deal with the clan," she said, pulling her straw in and out of her drink, absently. "I don't really mind the clan obligations and rituals," she admitted, "in fact I'm used to them. It's just…" she trailed off wistfully, wondering why she was saying what she was saying. A quick glance up at Konohamaru's suddenly serious expression encouraged her to continue "…my mom died when I was 11, and she had promised to take me here sometime after the clan party – just the two of us, like a secret. She… she died before we could go." She put her cup down suddenly as if it burned her, and sat up a little straighter, regaining her composure. "I've never told anyone that before," she said quietly. "Not even Hinata."

Konohamaru watched her carefully, and saw that there was something under the icy façade she kept up so well. "It isn't easy, is it," he said with a knowing and genuine empathy that surprised her. "My grandfather was the director of the ASF in Konoha, my parents were higher ups, my uncle is a distinguished member," he waved his hand absently, "and I was the only grandchild, and brattiest child in all of Konoha," he finished. "There were days it was just too much to live up to."

"At least I have my sister," Hanabi smiled slightly. "It doesn't matter what we do as the clan – and what she has to organize in my mother's place. She always does something special for me," continued warmly. "She always makes sure we have some time together, just the two of us." Hanabi looked down at her hands. "She really is a lot like my mother was," she murmured.

"Well," Konohamaru leaned forward, "The big thing I just heard was that you have a birthday in three days." His eyes took on a mischievous gleam. "And you say you've never been here before?"

Hanabi looked at him, confused. "No, never," she said, furrowing her brow.

"I see," he mused, looking around, and waving to the waiter. "That means March 27th, right? And you'll be 20?"

"Hai," she answered, still having no idea what had caught his sudden attention.

"Can I help you, sir?" the waiter asked him.

"No," he shook his head before smiling slyly, "but you can help the birthday girl."

"Oh! Is it your birthday today?" The waiter asked gleefully.

"Well, actually,-"

"Sure is," Konohamaru shot her a look rife with amusement and let-me-do-the-talking. "AND," he said pointedly, "she's Never. Been. Here."

"You don't say?" the waiter said eyeing Hanabi conspiratorially.

"I do. I do say," he shook his head sadly. "Tragic, isn't it?"

"Absolutely."

"Now wait just a second, what is tragic about-"

And that is when it happened.

The waiter jumped up on a chair from a neighboring table, and signaled everyone for their attention.

Hanabi looked at Konohamaru with something close to panic "What is he doing," she hissed.

He looked back at her innocently. "Beats me."

"Konohamaru," she growled.

He decided he liked seeing her ruffled as the waiter continued to get the attention of every restaurant patron and staff member.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN," he boomed, "TODAY WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL GUEST! NOT ONLY IS TODAY THIS YOUNG LADIES VERY FIRST TIME HERE, IT IS HER BIRTHDAY!"

Hanabi's mouth was open in astonishment as her ghostly eyes darted around trying to figure out what was going on, and where the nearest exit was. She stood to bolt, but soon found two strong hands firmly on her shoulders, and Konohamaru at her back. How did he move so fast? He was damned lucky she didn't act on instinct alone and gentle fist his smirking self through the wall, or maybe he was lucky that all of that caffeine that she never drank was coursing through her system and making her shake slightly.

"Can't leave yet," he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Fun's just starting!"

It seemed as if there was an eruption from the restaurant as staff members came running to the table armed with a giant hat, something with sparklers, and – oh dear god, they were singing.

"Wh-what…" her eyes were wide as she gasped. She was soon shoved (gently) back in her chair, a giant floppy hat smashed onto her head, and a desert with a sparkler was thrust under her nose. She stared dear-in-the-headlights at Konohamaru who had now joined in singing whatever silly birthday song they were now singing to her, and she still had little to no idea what was going on. When they all yelled "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and cheered, she finally blinked twice and started to smile. Konohamaru winked at her and handed her a spoon.

"To new adventures," he grinned as the wait staff dispersed amid good natured claps and cheers from the restaurant patrons. She reached out tentatively to take the spoon, warily. He raised his eyebrows to her, and a slow smile spread across her face.

"To new adventures," she agreed, and dug in.

* * *

A/N: Groundwork is set so the story can start to move along more now. Thanks for taking the time to read!

-GL


	5. Chapter 5: Can You Tell the Moment

**A/N: "You must Believe in Spring" is a song by Michael Legrande. The Chapter titles are other titles by the composer. This is not a song fic, but the lyrics did inspire the flavor of this chapter. - gl**

**You Must Believe in Spring**

**Chapter Five: Can You Tell the Moment**

**5:46 pm**

To say the day had been tiring would be one of the grandest understatements that Sakura had ever had the pleasure to make. She was staring long and hard at a file on the desk, and making up her mind what to do about it. There was an odd feeling pricking at the back of her neck; something was telling her that she was at a precarious and critical crossroad – bigger than analyzing what happened with Kankurō, than 'discovering' and being recruited by ANBU – bigger than anything she had ever done. She closed her eyes as if trying to commit her life up until this point to memory, because she knew, innately, that it was all about to change irrevocably.

She needed more time.

There was no more time.

**Earlier that day:**

**12:15 pm**

While Hinata and Sakura were still being examined for ANBU admission, Shizune was working in the lab with Shino. Ino came through with a glint in her eye and a certain sway to her walk that made even Shino look up in surprise.

"Who did you lay into this time," Shizune asked, curiosity piqued. "Did someone pick on one of your boys again?"

Ino bristled a little at that before sucking in air sharply through her nose. Realizing it was only the three of them in the lab, she crossed her arms, and exhaled, "Sasuke."

Shizune nearly choked. "Y-you what?! Whatever for?"

Ino seemed to gauge what she would tell the woman. "I gave him the heads up about Sakura," she finally confessed. "He needs to know she is about to be working with us. She needs to hear what happened five years ago, and she needs to hear it from him. If they don't clear the air from the get go they won't be able to work together, and we can't afford that right now."

Shino seemed to nod to himself. They would be relying on Sasuke's information and Sakura's skills. This was the biggest threat directed at ANBU in quite some time.

Shizune narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What else," she asked flatly.

Ino stood her ground. "I might have mentioned that if he hurts my BFF in any way shape or form I would break his mind faster than Chōji can shark the last piece of barbeque."

Shizune wanted to sigh admonishingly, but it came out as a sort of hastily repressed giggle-snort. "Ino," she warned.

"Oh, fine," she rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, "I'll give him a chance, but I'm not kidding about the mind thing. Humpty Dumpty will look like Fabergé next to what I will do to him."

Shizune waved that topic away, not because she thought Ino was kidding, but because she knew the girl was deadly serious. "Fine; we know what we will do if Sasuke screws up. Again. What are we going to do right now? I don't want her caught off guard if Tsunade calls an all-team meeting. God, imagine that little surprise first thing in the morning."

Ino frowned. "I'll ask Tsunade. It might be easier if I just let her know tonight when she gets home. That way there will be moral support in the form of her best friend, as well as an abundance of wine."

Shizune nodded her head vaguely.

Shino suddenly spoke up.

"Did you bring me those files, Shizune?" he asked.

"Oh, hai," she returned, reaching absently for several manila folders. "Why did you need these in particular?"

Shino's expression did not change.

"It is because I am researching the pathogens targeting shinobi," he stated as If it should be blatantly obvious. "The files requested are on some of the targeted Kekkei genkai." He stopped and checked his watch. "The samples from that first batch should be done," he intoned stonily as he drifted back to a line of centrifuges on the workbench. Ino straightened up.

"I'm going over to my lab," she told Shizune. "Do you have to give the girls their field test today?"

Shizune shook her head. "No. Today was just the preliminary physical. Tomorrow Tsunade will check chakra levels, and they will actually have the shinobi field test to assess those skills and classify them properly."

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Classify them? They passed the Chunin exams ages ago. Were they ever promoted to Jōnin?"

Shizune shook her head "As civilians, neither had much reason to be promoted to full Jōnin before now. They are classified as Tokubetsu Jōnin on paper, Sakura for her medical-nin skills and Hinata for her Byakugan related abilities, but they will have to be reclassified by ANBU standards. They are both accomplished medical-nin. Hinata has had her clan training and can apparently keep up when sparring with Neji. Sakura trained with Tsunade, and I am sure I don't have to tell you what she is capable of."

Ino shuddered as she remembered the aftermath of one of Sakura's 'therapy' sessions. The old training ground had to be closed to the public, and a collapsed underground mine was blamed for the destruction. "I'm aware," she nodded knowingly.

"It's not a sight I plan on missing," Shizune smiled conspiratorially. "I'm bringing popcorn."

"I'm there," Ino agreed emphatically. "It's been a long time since I've seen Sakura go at it without worrying about how I was going to get us both home before she either destroyed a training ground or sent a bar full of drunks to the ER..." A glimmer flashed in Ino's eye as she trailed off, and Shizune looked up at her warily. "Let's go see Lady Tsunade this afternoon," a slow grin spread across her face. "I have a _fantastic_ idea."

"Don't you have a lab to get to?" Shino asked, arms crossed.

The women jumped at his sudden appearance, and both gave a startled "Hai!" before taking their leave of one another.

As Shizune turned to her workbench, she had a feeling she was going to both love and hate whatever Ino had in mind. "Someone's in for it," she muttered to herself as she began to mentally list potential victims as she analyzed the samples in front of her. If she didn't miss her guess, the Uchiha's day wasn't going to be any better tomorrow.

**12:15 pm**

Hinata quietly closed the door behind her as she left Ibiki's office before leaning back against it wearily. The short night and long day were beginning to take their toll on her. She let her ponytail bump back against the door as she wrapped her thick gray cardigan tighter over her pale blue scrubs, closed her eyes, and took a deep, cleansing breath. The physical and psych evaluations had gone rather smoothly, probably because so much of her life was already scribbled down in the file she saw go from desk to desk between ANBU agents. She smiled to herself, wryly. For being such a private person, it would seem she had no secrets here. Well. At least not the normal kind of secrets. It wasn't anything new to her, though. Growing up as a Hyūga – and the daughter of the headman at that – meant that her life had always been open to the public eye. She had gone through both her clan's and the academy's training. She had been assigned under Kurenai Sensei as a genin. She had been teamed with Kiba and Shino from the time she was 12, and had even thought about joining the tracking/search and rescue division of the ASF. She had continued her clan's training, even when her father would not work with her directly unless Hanabi or Neji needed a sparring partner. She has been quietly building her friendships while trying to find her own small place in the sun.

That had been when her mother was alive.

After her mother was gone, she had to take on a whole new world of responsibilities and challenges. She shelved her own life and channeled all of her grief into supporting her father, her sister, and her clan. The paradigm shift from 16-year-old daughter to the role of clan-mother was drastic, but she was not wholly unprepared. Knowing Hanabi would take over as the heir, her mother had always included her elder daughter in her own affairs, and had done more so long before she let on how sick she was to her family. The day her mother died, Hinata quietly packed up the life she had known and tucked it away in place of the life that would be. She was later able to attend KU, but lived at home and rarely had time outside of studying and clan duties to socialize with her friends. She lived a life that could be neatly and succinctly catalogued and put into manila file folder of moderate size on Morino Ibiki's desk. A life that generated a file of a girth commensurate with the length of time it had been recorded, not the expanse of material it covered. In twenty-five years, her life was so unobjectionably uneventful that her security clearance was granted in record time.

That is what flitted through her mind in the few seconds she gave herself to collect her thoughts against the door of Ibiki's office. Enough. She would go find Neji now; she knew he would be nearby.

With less than a sigh, she opened her eyes, and found herself looking straight into the bluest eyes she had ever seen in her life. Blinking twice, she stared dumbstruck at the face before her as her heart raced, waiting for her mind to catch up with the recognition that seemed to be forming in the back of her consciousness. The warm chakra signature washed over her, and her eyes widened slightly as all of the context clues finally fell into place in her mind and opened up memories long since buried.

The blush had just begun to creep across her face, and the blue eyes shifted from inquisitive to puzzled to –

"Oi!," The blonde man smiled brightly, "Hinata! Is that you?! It's me, Naruto! Man, I haven't seen you since - Oh, shit!"

The last part was blurted hastily as he lunged forward and grabbed the tops of her arms before she could slide to a heap on the floor.

"Hey, are you ok?" he asked, concerned, stepping in to support her against the door. With nowhere to go, her face bright red, her head swimming, and her eyes down cast, she tried to nod and mumble a response. Naruto leaned forward, "I didn't catch that," he said, angling his ear closer to her face. "What did you say?"

Hinata's voice abandoned her completely as she tried to stammer out any kind of a response.

"Uzumaki!" the voice was muffled by the heavy door at her back, "Why are you yelling outside of my office?!" Ibiki yanked open the door, and barely jumped out of the way of the two bodies that went tumbling to the floor. "What the-?!" He looked down sharply. He looked up just in time to see Neji skidding to a halt, and Sai sauntering up behind him, grinning broadly.

For a moment the three men could do nothing but stare at the prostrate couple; Sai in amusement, Ibiki in exasperation, and Neji in mortification.

Sai quirked an eyebrow before musing "Perhaps he has a penis after all."

"Baka!" Neji snarled and thumped Sai on the head, snapping out of the train-wreck-can't-look-away level trance.

Genuinely startled, Sai rubbed the back of his head and eyed Neji in confusion.

"What was that for?"

Neji ignored him. "Get up, Uzumaki," he snapped, kicking the bottom of Naruto's shoe.

Naruto was rubbing his head gingerly, "Hai, hai," he tried to laugh as he negotiated rolling off of the angry Hyūga's cousin and sat on the floor. "Ne, Hinata, are you alright?" he nudged her. "Hinata…?" He looked down to find the girl was unconscious. Leaning over her and shaking her shoulder lightly, he repeated "Hinata?" Nothing. He grimaced. Apparently he hadn't been able to brace the impact fast enough, so while his fall had been broken by Hinata, her fall had been broken by the floor

"Uzumaki," Neji growled through clenched teeth. Naruto snapped his head up.

"Right," he said sheepishly, and in a fluid movement Naruto scooped her up and stood, looking between Ibiki, Neji, and Sai. "So," he adjusted her in his arms. "Where do you want her?"

Sai lifted a finger and started to answer when Neji silenced him with an icy stare. Ibiki crossed his arms, irritated.

"Take her down to the recovery area of the infirmary," he directed. "Standard protocol for any reaction following the ANBU psych eval." He pushed at his earpiece, ignoring the surprised looks from Sai and Naruto at the mention of an evaluation by Inoichi. "Kurenai," he stated. "Uzumaki is bringing Hinata down to recovery. Make your way there." He looked up to Neji. "She's been on call today in case something like this happened. She'll be there in a moment to take care of Hinata." He moved toward the door, effectively ushering them all out.

"Hell of a way to welcome the newest ANBU member, Uzumaki," he said, closing the door behind him.

Naruto's eyes went even wider before looking back down at the unconscious girl. "ANBU member?" he looked up at Neji. Sai was picking up the spilled contents of a large manila envelope from where Hinata must have dropped them when Naruto startled her. He dangled an ASF photo badge in front of them.

"Seems that way," he said. "Medical-nin/Research division," he indicated the color coding at the top of the badge. The men knew that the ANBU badges were visibly indistinguishable from the ASF badges, as they were all registered as active ASF agents. The only difference was in the chakra coding on the card that would grant them access to the ANBU facilities.

Neji snatched the badge, the envelope, and the rest of the contents from Sai before glowering at Naruto. "Let's go," he jerked his head in the direction of the infirmary.

"H-Hai!" Naruto snapped to, and began to rush after Neji, Sai following in their wake.

Kurenai beat them to the infirmary, and was speaking with staff medical-nin Kanpō when the odd mix of agents entered the room. She swept one look over them all, and did little more than raise an eyebrow. "Bring her here, Naruto," she instructed, indicating a bed behind a partition of curtains. Despite having a fairly good idea of the answer, she asked, "What happened?"

Naruto gently placed Hinata on the bed and backed up to allow Kanpō access. He stood up and scratched the back of his head with a nervous smile. "I was on my way to Ibiki's office when I recognized Hinata. I must've surprised her."

Sai looked at Naruto, confused. "What did you say to her to make her blush?" he asked. "And why did you pin her against the door? And what were you doing that you didn't have time to react before Ibiki opened the door and you fell on top of her?"

"Th-There was that, too," Naruto stammered, embarrassed as his eyes darted between his friends - one confused, one quietly fuming - and Kurenai. "But I didn't say anything! I just said hello and she looked like she was going to pass out! I guess her time with Inoichi wore her out more than she thought," he glanced down at her, worried.

Kurenai smothered a smile. So that was it. Some things never changed. Neji meanwhile was scowling fiercely, Byakugan activated as he looked over his cousin. Kanpō hovered a glowing green palm over the length of her body before stopping near her head, the light fading from his hand.

"She has a decent bump on the back of her head," he said, gently turning her head to the side and feeling under the bottom of her ponytail. Kurenai reached over and undid the girl's hair, finger combing it quickly to allow Kanpō better access. "Arigatou," he murmured as he placed his glowing hand on the back of her head. "I don't think she has a concussion. It looks like she is fatigued, and her blood sugar is low. It isn't uncommon for a patient to sleep deeply after their psych exam," he rested his glowing palm under the bangs on her forehead. "How she became unconscious seems to have little do to with the fact she is staying unconscious. She should come to in an hour or so," he straightened up, glancing at the clock.

"Any guesses as to when she ate last?"

"About 5:30 this morning," Neji crossed his arms. "She probably had tea since then, but nothing else." Given the day's events, Neji was sure that his cousin would not have taken time to eat the lunch she had so carefully prepared the night before.

Kanpō nodded. "That could certainly have contributed."

"That's not all that 'contributed,'" Neji muttered, glaring at Naruto.

Sai looked up brightly. "That's what she sai-"

"Don't you have to get back to the hospital?" Naruto asked, Neji while covering Sai's mouth. "I know _you_ have to go find Kakashi and Go. Get. Some. Lunch," he stared his teammate down, not moving his hand from his mouth until the other nodded slowly in acknowledgement.

"Yes," he nodded. "I have to go find Kakashi and go get some lunch. Now?" he asked.

"Yes," Naruto said firmly. "Now." Sai gave a brief bow to the room and left promptly.

Neji muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "surrounded by idiots," before checking his watch. "Yes, I have to get back to the hospital," he said. "You'll let me know the minute she is awake," he said to Kanpō.

"She'll be fine, Neji," Kurenai assured him gently.

Neji gave a sharp incline of his head before handing the woman Hinata's things. With a last venomous look at Naruto, he turned to leave. "She's had enough to deal with for one day," he warned Naruto. "Find someone else to annoy."

"Fine, Neji," Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets with a good natured smile. "Get back over and check in with Tenten before she starts lining up bedpans and IV bags for target practice."

Neji gave a derisive snort, but made it out of the room with all possible speed.

Naruto sighed as the door closed behind the agitated Hyūga. He turned back to Kurenai who was covering the raven-haired kunoichi with a blanket. "She is always cold," the sensei explained, pressing a warm hand to the girl's shoulder, affectionately.

Naruto scratched his chin absently. "She did always seem to have a thing for coats," he mused, remembering the quiet girl who was always on the periphery of their group of friends.

Kurenai chuckled to herself. "That among other things," she remarked. "Thank you for bringing her down, Naruto. I'll stay with her until she wakes up."

Naruto nodded, glumly. "I'm really sorry," he offered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not the best way to run into an old friend." He seemed to think for a moment. "At least if she is going to be a part of ANBU, I'll be seeing her around; that will give me a chance to make it up to her," he smiled sheepishly. He wasn't sure how you apologized for landing someone in the infirmary their first day at work.

Kanpō looked down at his charts and glanced at the clock. "We are expecting another patient in here around 1:30," he said. "Tsunade said that you aren't to be around recovery after that."

Naruto's wan smile fell. "Sakura?" he asked. If Kanpō was surprised, it didn't register on his face. Naruto sighed. "I figured. Baa-chan probably wants to give her a chance to settle in before the rest of us catch up with her." Kurenai nodded. Naruto might seem dense, but he picked up on much more than he was given credit for – especially when it came to his friends.

He looked at Kurenai for a minute. "If I don't catch her when she wakes up," he nodded down to Hinata, "tell her I'm sorry. I'll check back." Ignoring the warning look Kanpō shot his way, he put his arms behind his head and headed for the door. "Be seeing you," he waved over his shoulder and made his way out before any objections could be raised.

Kanpō sighed, muttering something about "… she'll have my head" before wandering out to check on other patients.

Kurenai looked down at her former pupil and smiled gently. "And you always thought you were invisible to him," she whispered.

**1:35 pm**

Neji seemed to be stopped in the hall by every nurse and staff member that could find him. He swallowed his irritation, as most of the concerns were legitimate, and ignored the few women (and at least two men) that were clearly just seeking his attention.

When he finally coded his way into Kankurō's secure room, he had about a nanosecond between hearing "Duck!" and darting out of the way of a senbon that came flying through the air to land in the door behind him.

"Nice grouping," a voice said weakly from the bed. Neji turned to see that Tenten had created a perfect outline of the Konoha and Suna shinobi symbols on the back of the door. It looked like he had done well to arrive when he had.

Tenten waved unapologetically to Neji. "'Bout time you got here," she said lazily from her perch on the arm of the chair next to Kankurō's bed. She stood and stretched her arms above her head with a sigh. "Kankurō and I were getting bored." The Suna shinobi gave a dry grunt of what was probably laughter tempered by his extremely weakened state.

Neji crossed the room and looked down at Kankurō. "How are you feeling?"

"Like hell," the puppet master answered truthfully. His face was devoid of his Kabuki make-up and he looked haggard. "Where is Temari? Is she alright?"

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Maybe he'll believe _you_," she crossed her arms. "I told him multiple times that she is fine."

Neji nodded. "She is fine. She will meet you down in the ANBU partition of the hospital – which is where you should've headed in the first place," Neji reminded him.

Kankurō shook his head. "I knew it was poison. Had to be Sakura. She studied under Chiyo-baasama and Tsunade. Besides," he swallowed to wet his dry throat. "I trust her."

Tenten poured the man a glass of water and helped him take a few sips. "I forget sometimes that Sakura was in Suna for so long," she admitted. "She was a year below us, but we knew her at Konoha U. It can be easy to forget that she hasn't been around for forever."

Neji muttered something that sounded like "Maybe for some," but neither the Suna-nin nor the kunoichi heard it. He shook his head at himself. The events of the day were making him careless with his words and his temper. That had to stop. He was a Hyūga, after all.

"She's just been transferred to ANBU," Neji confirmed. "She will be your attending physician during your recovery. For you and for Temari," he clarified, seeing the question on the man's face. "We are going to transport you to the ANBU medical facility," he said as he walked over to a panel in the wall. A door slid open and several medical-nin came in to the room.

We should leave someone here to impersonate Kankurō," Neji said idly, turning to look at Tenten. "Someone who can stay all night on assignment." The dark haired woman stared back at him looking like she didn't know whether to shout, cry, spit, or shoot. Judging from the way her hand was moving reflexively to her hip, he had his guesses. "Better yet, you can make a clone to impersonate Kankurō and stay as the night guard."

Tenten glowered at Neji. She _hated_ hospitals, and now he was thinking she was going to stay here all night? In one room? Possibly just lying there unable to move or worse yet, watching a clone of herself disguised as Kankurō?

"You can handle it," Neji nodded as the medical-nin began to prepare to move Kankurō. Tenten bit her lip, hard, trying to think of a way to say what she wanted to without starting a fight. This is probably why she was unable to speak. She turned to watch Kankurō's preparations, patently ignoring Neji as he oversaw the process from his place behind her. With a start, she felt his warm breath on her ear.

"Gotcha," he whispered before heading to the door. "Stay with Kankurō," he called over his shoulder. "The team here will send clones to check out later."

Tenten suppressed her surprise at this decidedly un-Neji and yet so-Neji retaliation as well as a furious desire to blush like crazy, which just pissed her off even more.

"Let's move out," she growled, and strode down the hall without a backward glance. Neji didn't need to turn around to see her reaction. He hadn't even needed to watch via his Byakugan. He knew she would beat a hasty retreat down the hall rather than get stuck in the hospital. She'd retaliate later, of that he had no doubt. He smiled to himself as he realized he was looking forward to it.

**1:45 pm**

Shikamaru touched his finger to his earpiece. "They are moving Kankurō," he informed the woman sitting silently next to him. "You can see him before they place him under observation. After that, he won't be allowed visitors."

"I'm not a 'visitor,'" Temari seethed. "I'm his sister."

"Then you won't do anything to jeopardize his recovery," came the lazy answer as Shikamaru stood and stretched. He ignored Temari's sulking. "Incoming," he said into his earpiece. "Two."

"Hai," a voice said on the other end. Shikamaru nodded to Temari who stood beside him.

"Infirmary," he told her, preparing to leave. She stopped him with a hand to his shoulder and he glanced over at her, his expression bored. "You don't have to apologize," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I get it."

She nodded curtly, and they both activated their respective body flicker techniques to arrive at the ANBU infirmary. The barrier corps allowed them passage; normally shinobi couldn't just arrive by that manner without raising all kinds of alarms1.

Kankurō was too weak to travel by any way other than the conventional. "He'll be here shortly," Shikamaru sighed. "Let's take you to his room." She didn't bother to ask why he knew this, or how he knew to which room to take her. She found that Shikamaru had a surprising aptitude of telling her things without telling her things. It was… uncanny.

"I've been cleared," she stated.

"Hai."

"And I can't stay here tonight," she stated again, arching an eyebrow.

"Arrangements have been made," he yawned, opening the door for her and ushering her in the room. "It's a bother, but it was taken care of as soon as Shino realized you aren't contagious," he said.

Before she could ask any more questions, the medical team arrived with her brother and Tenten in tow.

"Kankurō," she rushed to his side, visibly relieved.

"Hey, Temari," he looked up at his sister, exhausted. "You look almost as bad as I do," he teased her.

"Baka," she took his hand. "I wouldn't look like this if I hadn't had to haul your backside from the border to here on no sleep," she chided him, but the tone rang with unspoken relief.

"We are going to put him in an induced sleep to speed the recovery process," a medical-nin spoke up. "Dr. Haruno's orders."

Shikamaru nodded to the man. "This is Migaki. He specializes in post-op treatments; Kankurō is in good hands."

Migaki bowed to Temari "I've been pulled off of rounds to monitor your brother. I shall make sure he is comfortable and remains stable."

Temari inclined her head. "Arigatou," she murmured. The battle-hardened kunoichi looked down to her younger brother who was struggling to stay awake. "Rest now," she urged him gruffly, but not unkindly. "You are safe. Sakura and I won't let anything happen to you."

Kankurō nodded, and with a slight squeeze of his sister's hand, drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep. She stayed until she was assured that everything was as it should be, and then let Shikamaru lead her from the room.

"Come on," he sighed, sauntering down the hall. "Let Gaara know what is going on, and then we will feed you."

She narrowed her eyes at him and retorted "I'm not-" her stomach gave an alarmingly loud growl. She looked down at her midsection, embarrassed by its treachery while Shikamaru merely quirked an eyebrow. "Fine. Let's contact Gaara," she strode past him on her way down the hall. The tactician followed in her wake, not even reminding her about her troublesome ways.

**2:25 pm**

Sasuke reminded himself to never again think the words "Well, at least that is over," ever again in his life. He had survived a brutal mission, a sleepless night, handing over a scroll that could have the bodies of four comrades sealed within it, an insane morning meeting turned emergency situation, a sparring match with the dobe that would've killed a lesser man, a debriefing with Sai, an unprovoked and unexpected dressing down by Ino complete with threats to shatter his mind, and the confirmation that not only was Sakura 'around,' but that she was about to be back in his life in a big way.

In all fairness, that was enough to fill multiple days, much less a morning and early afternoon.

But this? This might be enough to send him over the edge.

He stopped, held the bridge of his nose between thumb and first two fingers, and swallowed a sigh, a colorful epithet, and a bevy of homicidal urges.

"Tell me again," he demanded, looking up harshly at the ghost-pale man across from him, "what exactly you are doing here?"

Sai blinked before answering. "Kakashi and I had ramen for lunch. Naruto came but then left again in a hurry. Kakashi suggested that I find you to and discuss what happened five years ago. So I followed you here."

Sasuke's eyebrow quirked. In an effort to forget everything today, he went to an out-of-the-way restaurant that she would have hated. It was too dark, too formal, too expensive, and far too stuffy to ever justify bringing her here. He requested the room that had been specifically built for the Uchiha executives, complete with ANBU level security capabilities. Here he could feel isolated from the impending doom that was their inevitable reunion looming on the not-so-distant horizon. Here, he was left alone by the discreet wait staff, and he was attended to by only a select few waiters that one: only came when summoned, and two: wouldn't spend the afternoon flirting with him or trying to eavesdrop. Here, he was safe.

Correction.

He had been safe.

He had also been unaware that Sai had an ink-creature stashed in his jacket pocket until he looked up over his menu and saw a stylized hummingbird spring from the back of a business card to settle into an open scroll next to the elbow of the man sitting across from him. It turns out that ANBU level security is not as effective against a top ANBU Agent; particularly when he has been sent by your team captain who undoubtedly instructed him on how to bypass said security.

He scowled fiercely; an expression that usually sent people running out of the room as if the phrase "staring daggers," was about to become a literal possibility.

Sai, however, was not to be deterred. "He also suggested that you explain how this Dr. Haruno figures into your respective pasts, as it will affect our team dynamic," he rolled up one scroll and began to take two more.

"He did, did he," Sasuke stated flatly.

Sai nodded. "When I asked, he said those were questions for the two of you. As Naruto was not available, I turned to you instead. So who is this Dr. Haruno whose return has you so upset? Is she an enemy?"

Sasuke worked a muscle in his jaw. "No."

"So she is a friend."

"Not exactly."

"An ally?"

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Sai. "We apparently all work for the same people, so I guess that is a fair assessment," he replied testily.

Sai nodded. "It seems you both have worked for the same people for quite some time," Sai said, unrolling a scroll. "I asked Kakashi for more information so I could better understand my teammates. He gave me this."

"What is that," onyx eyes zeroed in on the parchment in his hands before flaring red.

"A confidential file coded, redacted, and otherwise made illegible to civilians," Sai said, simply.

"And you can read it," Sasuke's tone dripped acid.

Sai looked up, nonplussed. "Of course I can."

Sasuke raked his eyes over the man, skeptically.

"How."

"Because of my training." Sai did not mention ROOT. Sai never mentioned ROOT or Danzo around Sasuke without a damned good reason and at least two witnesses.

Sasuke snatched the file. "Let me see that."

A few moments later, he tossed it back in frustration, his Sharingan fading.

Sai looked down at the file, and then up at the annoyed Uchiha. "This… this Sakura," he said slowly, watching Sasuke's minute reaction to the use of the doctor's first name. "She was… she was once important to you, yes?"

Sasuke stared at him a long time.

"Hn."

Sai nodded, and gave him an appraising look before continuing. "I had a brother." he said bluntly. The change in topic was abrupt, but something in the man's tone made Sasuke pay closer attention. "We were ordered to fight to the death or be killed by Danzo. In the end, my brother kept a terminal illness a secret and allowed me to kill him so that I could survive." He met the onyx glower with his own dark-eyed and penetrating stare. "I know something about loss and making the difficult choices."

Something like the beginning of an understanding passed between the two silent men.

"Kakashi said she is undergoing her initial physical and psychiatric evaluations today," Sai said quietly. "I have already requested that he update me with any pertinent information." He tapped a finger on the scroll, as if making a decision. "In the meantime, we should look over this together," he said quietly.

"Why."

It wasn't a question, it was a demand for an explanation. Sai remained unruffled.

"Because I feel it will strengthen our bonds and make us more compatible as teammates and shinobi," he answered truthfully.

Sasuke stared at him. "That's it?"

Sai managed to look slightly uncomfortable. "No. That is not it. We have been on the same team for several years. I consider you a trusted comrade. I'd… I'd like to be your friend. More like how Naruto is your friend." He looked hopefully at the last of the Uchiha. Sasuke waited a few moments, expecting the artist to make some comment questioning Naruto's sexuality, or his preferences – anything that typical Sai would say to ruin the moment. When nothing came, though, Sasuke gave a short nod.

"Ah" was the only response he had to offer.

Sai said nothing. He unrolled a blank scroll and quickly drew several dozen mice with efficient and beautiful strokes. He released them from the paper and they swarmed over the encrypted file, much to the disgust and fascination of Sasuke. In mere moments, they returned to their original scroll. Sai performed a series of hand signals and the mice melted into a sea of words, no longer coded, redacted, or otherwise encrypted. He carefully rolled the scroll, and handed it to Sasuke.

He took it tentatively, but at a nod from his cryptic teammate, began to read. The first entry was dated more than a decade ago, where it all began. The Academy.

**2:45 pm**

Naruto watched covertly as a medical-nin wheeled a gurney down the hall and into the recovery area. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was more than an hour past when they were supposed to be bringing Sakura back into recovery, and she had yet to make an appearance. He made sure that his clone had been seen hanging around the main entrance of the infirmary to keep the staff from checking for him here. His chakra signature was a difficult one to mask, but he had lots of practice. He heard Kanpō talking to another medical-nin.

"…and Naruto is not allowed in the recovery wing until we hear from Tsunade," he instructed. "Kurenai is with Hyūga Hinata in recovery." Naruto frowned at that. Hadn't they said she would be awake within an hour? Why was she still asleep? As if reading his mind, the other medical-nin asked:

"She still unconscious? That seems unusual."

Naruto heard the shuffling of paper; they must be checking her chart. "When Lady Tsunade heard she was brought down to recovery she came to check in on her. She decided the patient was in need of rest, so she put her in a deeper sleep." More paper shuffling. "She said the jutsu should release on its own after 4:30 pm."

"Still seems unusual, Kanpō" the other medic-nin said.

"I agree, Iyashi" he sighed, "but Lady Tsunade gave the order, so there must be good reason. The patient had a busy morning."

"I heard," Iyashi snickered. "Uzumaki is at it again, eh?" Naruto sweat dropped as Kanpō sighed.

"Hai," he said wearily. "He's hanging around the door to the infirmary. Kurenai, is everything alright?" he asked the quickly approaching Jōnin. Naruto's ears perked up.

"I have to take care of something," she said. "I'll be right back."

"I can monitor Hinata," Kanpō said.

Kurenai shook her head. "You two better keep an eye on Naruto at the door. He will probably try to sneak into the infirmary while I am out. In fact, go ahead of me so that he doesn't use my exit as a way to get in."

"Hai!" the men said in unison before bustling away.

Kurenai watched them round the corner before pausing outside of room where Naruto sat with an unknown, unconscious patient. "Be quick," was all she said before heading out.

Naruto waited until the hall was empty to steal back to the recovery area and slip into the chair Kurenai had vacated next to Hinata's side. He sat there a moment, rubbing the palms of his hands on the top of his thighs. He wasn't a fan of hospitals, even when whoever he was visiting was stable. He looked around the room; her gray cardigan was on the back of the chair next to him and the manila folder was sitting neatly on the seat. He glanced up at the monitor that beeped quietly in time with her heart. He watched the slow progression of waves glide across the screen, noting that they must have really put her into a deep sleep for her heart rate to be that low and not be a cause for concern. He looked down to the pale, quiet girl. Her thick black hair was over her shoulder in a braid; Kurenai must have done that. She shivered in her sleep. Kurenai had mentioned that she tended to be cold. He reached for the second blanket at the end of her bed, and gently pulled it over her. He sat back down. He stared at her. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He stared at the ceiling. He listened for any activity indicating Sakura was on her way. He looked back at Hinata.

"I'm really sorry, you know," he finally said, keeping his voice low. "I didn't mean to knock you out like that. I can still be really clumsy sometimes," he admitted wryly. He looked at her peaceful expression, but noticed there were faint circles under her eyes. "Guess you needed the rest, though," he mused. "Must be why Baa-chan kept you asleep." He looked at her, studying her face. "You look tired," he finally said. "N-not that I mean that in a bad way," he stammered nervously, as if just realizing what he had said. "I mean, I didn't really notice earlier –" he trailed off. "Kinda dumb to apologize for something you didn't hear, huh," he muttered to himself.

"Anyway, I'm sorry and I'll make it up to you." He leaned forward in the chair, his elbows on his thighs. "It's been a while since you've been around." He continued conversationally. "Most of the old gang is ANBU, now. Looks like you're going to be in the Medic division, so you will see all of us at some point. We still get banged up pretty regularly," he chuckled leaning back in the chair. "We all get together when we can. You were always busy with stuff for your family, but maybe you can join us now. Tell your dad it's a work thing."

Naruto smiled to himself at the image of anyone, much less quiet Hinata telling Hyūga Hiashi that they had a 'work thing' to attend over some clan commitment.

"Sakura's birthday in coming up," he said suddenly. "Four days from now. The 28th. I'm sure we'll all go out. Well." He paused. "Assuming she and Teme know about each other by then and are speaking." He sighed and rubbed his head. "You think that situation will ever be right?" he asked. He realized that this had been weighing on his mind heavily since this morning. Actually, it had been weighing on his mind for a long time. He knew Sakura worked for the hospital; they were in touch, even if not very often. The last five years had been a blur of missions and rebuilding ANBU from the bottom up while flushing out any remnants of Danzo's treachery. It was only in the last two years that he and Sasuke had been more on the regular rotation of agent assignments and not gone for weeks at a time on solo or dual missions, or teaming up with Sai and Kakashi.

Before he knew it, he was giving Hinata a disjointed, rambling account of everything that had happened all those years ago through this morning. It bordered on incomprehensible at times, but Naruto had needed to talk to someone – anyone – about this for a long time. Twenty minutes later, he looked up, feeling a weight melt away from his chest. He looked down at the sleeping patient. The room was silent except for her soft breathing coupled with the occasional electronic punctuation marking the cadence of her heartbeat. Even in sleep, she was steady.

"So it's agreed, yeah? We will do what we can to make sure that Sasuke is as little of a jerk as possible, and that Sakura's transition to ANBU goes as smoothly as possible. I bet things will be like the old days in no time," he said cheerfully. If there was one thing about Naruto, it was that he never gave up hope. He smiled down at his unconscious confidante. "Thanks, Hinata. You're a really good listener."

A noise down the hall signaled that he was about to have company. He quietly backed himself into the corner and listened.

The door opened and a medical-nin pushed a gurney into the room before pulling back the curtain to the bay next to Hinata's. Naruto had seen pink hair; Sakura was back. His relief soon gave way to panic as the familiar sound of heels clacked along the floor reached his ears. His eyes darted around wildly, looking for a means to escape. With nowhere to go, he flattened himself against the wall, Seconds later, Tsunade came in the room, followed by Shizune. Naruto listened intently.

He heard the sound of a chart being handled. "Good," Tsunade murmured. "Inoichi took great care with this evaluation. She will be awake around the same time as Hinata."

Shizune must've taken the chart from Tsunade. "You already put her in a recuperative sleep?" she asked.

"Hai," Tsunade said briskly. "The evaluation process is draining, even when done cautiously. Sakura was originally a genjutsu type, so it is wise to take more time in those kinds of evaluations. It seems that she will be fully awake and well rested in short order."

Shizune hummed in agreement.

"Until then, she needs to rest. Undisturbed," she raised her voice pointedly. "As in if there are any baka-clone-making-orange-loving-agents around, they had better not let me catch them bothering her."

Naruto felt his heart pound in his ears.

"Alright, then!" Tsunade said brightly. "Let's go." And with that, she strode out of the room with the medical-nin and Shizune in her wake. Naruto waited until the doors stopped swinging behind her.

Tentatively he tip-toed over to Hinata. "That was close," he breathed. "I'll check in with you later," he whispered. "Don't forget, partner; we have work to do," he touched her shoulder gently before poking his head out and darting over to Sakura.

"Long time no see," he said quietly, giving her hand a squeeze. "Welcome back, Sakura. Don't worry. We're looking out for you. We're going to make everything alright again. You'll see. I promise." Naruto knew that Sakura would understand. He _never_ went back on a promise.

With that, he flickered out of the room.

There was nothing to disturb the silence of the recovery room. There was no one conscious to see one of the shadows melt away from the wall and approach Sakura in human form. A hand to her head. Fingers to her pulse. A gentle touch on the diamond mark on her forehead. A careful examination of her wrists. A satisfied half smile. Like a ghost, the figure moved silently to Hinata's side. A hand to her head. Fingers to her pulse. A gentle hand tipping her chin upward. A careful examination of her wrists. Another satisfied half smile. A feather-light kiss on the forehead. Assurances that both girls were safe. With less than a thought, the figure vanished, leaving the silence undisturbed.

**3:30 pm**

Konohamaru was back in the ANBU locker room, switching out his gear. He paused as he moved Hanabi's file in his bag to make room for another folder.

"_You're an ASF intern, right?" Hanabi had asked suddenly as they made their way back to headquarters. Konohamaru nodded._

"_Yeah. Why do you ask? Need an internship?" he nudged her with an elbow as they walked. _

"_Not exactly," she said slowly, her gaze distracted._

_Konohamaru watched her out of the corner of his eye. "What's on your mind?" he asked. _

_Hanabi seemed to be weighing something before responding. "What kind of assignments are you usually given?"_

"_Oh, you know, jewel heists, tailing drug lords, escorting heads of state to exotic locales, the usual," he said lightly. "It isn't easy, but someone has to do it." Hanabi rolled her eyes, and Konohamaru laughed to see such a pedestrian reaction from her, even if he was obviously joking. "Alright, alright, you got me. I do a lot of desk work, and helping with basic mission stuff; not that different from the things we did as genin. I train with some of the full operatives, but most of what I do is pretty basic. Naruto once "assigned" me to go buy a whole cartload of limited edition instant Raman noodles. I bet you can imagine how well that went over with the higher-ups."_

_Hanabi found herself laughing, which was not something she was prone to do. It wasn't that she was an uncheerful or sour person; she was just more reserved. _

"_So I'll ask you again," he stepped in front of her. "What's on your mind?" Hanabi looked up at Konohamaru openly. His hands were in his pockets, his posture was easy. She had to look up to speak with him. She was taller than her sister (or at least she stood up taller than her sister) but Konohamaru was tall like his Uncle Asuma. She felt small standing next to him, which is not something that she was used to feeling. She wasn't sure how she felt about this yet. He was standing closer to her than anyone her age dared to._

"_I suppose you realize I am always escorted by a clan member," she said._

"_Happens with prominent families," he said with a shrug. _

_Hanabi nodded slowly. "But what if the function has nothing to do with a 'prominent family,'" she asked quietly. "What if the function is just something normal, like going somewhere with friends? Or…" she trailed off._

"_Or like having lunch while your sensei's nephew ambushes you with singing wait staff three days before your actual birthday?" he raised an eyebrow. Hanabi nodded. "Sounds like a great time." Konohamaru smiled crookedly. _

"_Sounds like you don't really need a clan bodyguard," Hanabi corrected before sighing. "But that's just it. There will always be one, whether I need one or not or if the situation calls for it or not. I just-" she stopped short, biting back the words that seemed to be tumbling out of her today. _

"_You just get tired of it," he finished for her. She nodded, looking at a fascinating point somewhere over his left shoulder. He watched her carefully. "How can I help?"_

_Hanabi shifted her gaze to meet his, her intelligent eyes tentatively hopeful and suspicious in turn. "Why would you?"_

"_Call it payback for the birthday gig," he smiled. "We wouldn't be having this conversation if you didn't think I could help, am I right? So what is it you want me to do?"_

_Hanabi's mind was racing. She knew what she wanted to ask of Konohamaru, but she wasn't sure exactly how to phrase what she wanted, or, even if it was worth asking. "I… I'm not sure yet," she finished lamely. Konohamaru seemed to be deciding whether or not to call her bluff when his phone vibrated 4 times in his pocket. She was surprised that he reached for it, as he had made a point of ignoring it during lunch._

"_Come on," he grabbed her hand suddenly. "We have to get to the ASF cafeteria."_

"_Why do we-"_

"_Aunt Kurenai," he pulled her behind him. "That was my five minute warning."_

"_Warning for what?" she asked, flustered._

"_To get us to where she told your dad I took you," he smirked. Hanabi stopped dead in her tracks._

"_You…"_

"_I know what it's like, ok" he said with good-natured exasperation as he turned to face her. He put his free hand on her shoulder and looked her straight into her unusual eyes. "Sometimes you just need space and to feel like you are you and not just who you are related to." She stared at him in mild surprise, but he didn't break contact. "Now, then." he flicked his eyes over his shoulder and back to her. "If you don't want to see my chakra system gentle-fisted into next Tuesday for hijacking your lunch, we need to hurry up."_

_A slow grin spread over Hanabi's face as she stepped away from him. "Then why are we wasting time? What kind of shinobi are you, anyway?" and with that, she flicked out of sight. _

_Konohamaru stared open mouthed at the empty air where she had just been standing. Did she just make a joke? He used the body flicker technique and arrived in the cafeteria right behind her, grateful that the barrier corps allowed that kind of transport into the civilian areas of the ASF. Kurenai was waiting for them both, a tray convincingly piled with the remnants of three lunches sitting next to her._

"_You're the best, Aunt Kurenai," he slid into the seat across from her as Hanabi took the chair to her right. _

"_I am sorry I couldn't visit with you today," she turned to Hanabi, putting a hand on her arm. "But I trust Konohamaru was good company."_

_Hanabi's expression was composed, but her cheeks were flushed from the burst of excitement, and her small smile was genuine. "Hai. It was very nice of him to-"_

"_I am so glad you could have lunch with us," Kurenai cut her off, flicking her glance to the tray next to them and then behind Konohamaru. She waved to Genma who walked up, hands in pockets with Hyūga Hiashi in his wake. "You both ordered your usual," she added while the two colligates exchanged glances. Hanabi looked like she was trying not to smile. Konohamaru had been a troublemaker as a kid; he was used to trying to get away with things. He realized this was totally new territory for Hanabi, though._

"_You really are the best," Konohamaru winked at his Aunt while Hanabi gave the woman's hand a quick squeeze._

"_Arigatou," she smiled – brightly this time. Konohamaru felt a surge of something like pride as he watched his co-conspirator handle her first minor act of rebellion. _

He opened the file, and scrawled his first note on the log: "Mischief managed."

**3:45 pm**

Tsunade, Ino, Shizune, and Jiraiya were in Tsunade's office.

"Shizune," Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "Tell Kakashi and Guy to where to be and when. Tell Kakashi 30 minutes before the actual start time. Tell Guy 30 minute after." Both women knew that meant Kakashi would be barely on time, and Guy wouldn't be a whole hour early.

Ino was grinning widely, and Jiraiya chuckled from his perch on Tsunade's desk. Tsunade took a scroll out of her desk and flipped it to Ino. It was remarkably similar to the one that she had given Kakashi earlier that day on another operative, except this one was specifically coded for Ino to read. "Use this if questions come up," she instructed. "And use this," she handed her a large bottle of sake, "after the questions come up." Ino nodded. "Dismissed," Tsunade waved the blonde out.

Jiraiya watched her leave with a discrete but appreciative eye. "She always was clever, wasn't she?" he asked Tsunade.

"Too clever," the she agreed, shuffling papers. A knock at the door made her glance at the clock. "Come," she called. Inoichi and Ibiki came in and bowed politely.

"Come in, gentlemen. Let's discuss our newest recruits. I want to see what you have in your files," she turned and placed two folders on her desk. "And we shall see how they compare to what I have in my files. And then," she nodded to Jiraiya who produced two more scrolls, "we shall see how they compare to _these_ files."

Inoichi and Ibiki exchanged looks while Shizune set herself up to take notes. The two men were heads of their respective divisions, and had the highest clearance available to anyone who wasn't Tsunade or Jiraiya. If there were files of which they were unaware, then that was telling. Very telling.

Tsunade sat back in her chair, crossed her legs, and flipped open her files.

"Report.

**4:30 pm**

Sakura had never woke up feeling as refreshed as she did at 4:30 PM, sharp. She allowed herself an entire 35 seconds to revel in the sensation of being well rested, clear-headed, and serene. At 4:30:36PM, sharp, she sat bolt upright, snapped the blankets off of her legs, and began to take the monitors off of her chest and arm with an efficiency born of practice. She silenced the machine before it could announce what she was up to, and quickly reached for her physician's coat. The curtain snapped back, and she was surprised to find herself looking up at Neji.

"Tsunade said you would be in a rush to get out of here," he remarked dryly.

"She was right," Sakura replied, re-ponytailing her hair. "I've got to go check on Kankurō."

Neji shook his head. "Your orders were followed. He has been put into a restorative sleep, and Tsunade checked on him herself. In fact, you have orders from her to not return to work today."

Sakura stopped. "Orders?" she asked.

"Orders," Neji crossed his arms and nodded perfunctorily. "Welcome to ANBU."

Sakura frowned at him.

"Don't let him bug you, Sakura," a familiar voice said, stepping around the corner. "He hasn't mellowed in his old age," she elbowed the handsome Hyūga in the ribs.

"Tenten!" Sakura smiled. "It's been ages!"

Sakura worked with Neji on a regular basis, but she didn't see Tenten much at all. She hugged her tightly, glad for the friendly face. "So you are in ANBU, too?" she asked.

Tenten shrugged. "Where else could I work with weaponry every day," she asked. Sakura laughed, remembering Tenten as a champion archer, target shooter, and weekend dart-league captain.

"Guess that makes sense," she laughed.

"S-Sakura?" another familiar voice came from behind Tenten. Hinata was sitting on the edge of her bed, pulling her familiar gray cardigan on.

"Hinata," Sakura smiled. "Looks like they knocked you out after your eval, too, huh? Sounds like standard procedure."

"Hai," she nodded, pulling her braid out of the way. She already asked Neji and Tenten to not bring up her run-in with Naruto. Tenten had gotten a good laugh over the incident, but Neji was still glowering.

"Does Kō know that you are here?" Sakura asked suddenly. She knew that the quiet man would be worried if he couldn't find Hinata.

Hinata shook her head. "He was told that we were needed in surgery," Hinata explained in her gentle voice. Sakura nodded. Kō often waited for hours in the hospital when Hinata was working. "We told him we would call when it was done," she added.

She and Sakura exchanged glances. Their new positions with ANBU were going to dictate some interesting life changes. Sakura didn't really have much of a life outside of the hospital; there wasn't anyone that would notice if she kept different hours. Hinata, however – Sakura did not envy her friend the conversation that was coming with her father.

Tenten grabbed Sakura's arm. "C'mon," she swung her friend toward the door. "Come have something to eat with me before I take you back to Shino. You have to check in with him before you leave.

"Welcome aboard, Hinata!" Tenten called over her shoulder as Sakura waved, helpless in the wake of an excited weapons mistress.

"Are you dizzy at all?" Neji asked his cousin. She shook her head slowly.

"No. I am fine," She had some strange dreams while she had been asleep, though. She had been told that sometimes old memories would surface after her evaluation; that might explain some of the thoughts that had flitted through her consciousness as she slept.

"Come," he gathered her things. She rose quietly and followed her cousin to an office where her bento box waited. He handed her a bottle of water before taking his seat opposite of her. "How are you feeling," he asked, looking her over.

"F-fine," she said, opening her water. "I feel more rested now. It has been… an interesting day."

Neji grimaced. "That is kind way to put it," he muttered. "Eat," he instructed, "and I shall tell you more about how the we fit in with ANBU as Hyūgas."

"Hai," she nodded, and gave him her full attention. For once, she was the one making the choices to protect her clan, not just filling a role left vacant by her mother. She sat up a little straighter. She felt stronger already.

**5:25 pm**

Sakura was walking back to Shino's lab with one arm wrapped around her midsection and the back of her other hand pressed against her mouth. A snort of laughter escaped anyway as Tenten finished telling her about her last mission.

"Ne, Ne," Sakura wiped away a tear and fanned herself trying to get more air. "Stop!" she laughed.

Tenten grinned mischievously. "Let that be a lesson to you if you ever try to hijack an ASF relief caravan," she warned her friend, wagging her finger. "Make sure that your pants aren't being held up by something that can be shot off. Or, if they are, don't wear boxers printed with hearts and cartoon characters."

Sakura gasped in breaths, "Hai, hai," she sighed. "I'll keep that in mind."

Tenten looked up at the lab doors. "Well, this is it," she said. "Hope that dinner sits alright with the smell of formaldehyde."

"I'm just checking in with Shino and picking up some files," Sakura assured her. "I'm done for the day.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Tenten asked, trying not to sound uneasy.

"I'm fine," Sakura said kindly. I can get to Tsunade's office from here, and Ino said she'd be around if I got lost."

"Alright, then" Tenten began to beat a hasty retreat. The only place she liked less than hospitals were laboratories. Definitely not places where weapons specialists were needed or welcome. "I'll see you tomorrow." She suddenly stopped short. "Are you having a field test tomorrow?" she asked suddenly.

"Yeah," Sakura grinned. "Sounds like it will be intense."

"Stop by the armory before you head over to Tsunade," Tenten said brightly, still backing up. "I've got something you're gonna like."

"I don't do guns, Tenten," Sakura warned her.

"Pft. Most people here don't," she half snorted. "I've got your number, Haruno – just come by and see me."

"Fine," Sakura grinned. "See you in the morning. 9 ish."

"Got it," the brunette swung around and started heading down the hall. "See you then!"

Sakura watched her a moment before turning back to the laboratory. Unlike most people she had run across so far, she didn't mind laboratories, and she didn't mind Shino. She respected his keen intellect, and had cause to rely on his skills many times before today. Looking back on everything, it made sense that he worked with ANBU; he had an uncanny ability for figuring out answers from even the most minute and obscure bits of data. He would be a real asset to the research end of her work.

"Shino?" she called, entering the lab. She hadn't bothered with the protective gear, as he had indicated it would be safe now.

He rounded the corner and indicated that she should follow him. "It is good that you came back," he said in his deep monotone. "That is because, I believe I have compiled more accurate data from the samples that you sent to me earlier today."

"Excellent," Sakura followed him, tucking a wayward piece of hair behind her ear. "Tell me more about the targeting of Kekkei genkai," she asked.

"It is impressive that you deduced that different Kekkei genkai were being targeted by analyzing the fact that we were dealing with a biological threat and that I insisted that Hinata be vaccinated before entering the lab."

Sakura smiled at the compliment. "They don't pay me to sit around and be pretty, Shino," she teased him lightly.

He opened a door for her. "This will be your office in our division," he waved her into the small office off of the research area. "This is your workstation." He indicated the computer. "You haven't been issued a formal login with the appropriate clearance yet, but I asked Shikamaru to authorize a workaround until tomorrow."

He paused as she sat behind the desk using the login information to access the ANBU database. She gave a low whistle. "This is some pretty high-tech stuff, Shino," she said in a low voice. He took the next 15 minutes to show her the basics of navigating the research and medical database and record systems, which were like the hospital's taken to the nth degree.

"I can't believe how far some of these records go back," she said for possibly the tenth time.

"You know Hokage-iwa," he stated.

"The Hokage monument? Sure – I am from here originally; what of it?"

"The Konoha Archive Library is there, and has been since long before the time of the Fifth Hokage. Its location within the mountainside is what allowed it to survive the many destructions of Konoha intact. Many of those records have been transcribed into our electronic databases. The Four Noble Clans also keep their own clan records. In addition to that, the Nara Clan has kept extensive research and medicinal records for generations, detailing even the particulars of the Akimichi clan. We have an amazingly intact written record database from which to pull this information."

Sakura stared for a while at the screen. "The Aburame's are one of the Four Noble Clans, aren't they?" Sakura asked looking up at Shino.

"Ah."

"Hyūga, too, correct?" she asked.

"Hai. The Hyūga, Aburame, Akimichi and Uchiha clans. The Hyūga clan has the most extensive archive next to the Nara's. After the Fourth Shinobi War, the Hyūga Clan-Mother made a point to safeguard the archives of the village and the surrounding clans. The Uchiha Clan was rebuilding at the time, and there were many smaller clans without the means to archive their own histories. The resulting records have been invaluable in treating and preventing ailments for all of Konoha."

"I remember learning about that," Sakura said, thinking of her Academy days. A perplexed look passed over her face as if she suddenly remembered something else. "Shino, wasn't there a time when we were kids when many members of the clans were sick? Some kind of plague?"

Shino nodded "When we were eight years old, there was a sickness in Konoha that happened to affect many members of the more prominent clans. It was dubbed 'The Clan Plague' by the medics at the time."

"Were the Aburame's seriously affected by the Clan Plague?"

"No," he shook his head. He seemed to pause in thought before deciding to continue. "It seems," he recollected, "that the Uchiha's and the Hyūga's were particularly susceptible to illness. In the end, the critical difference was that the Hyūga's went to Hinata's mother when the symptoms first presented themselves and before they became serious enough to warrant professional medical attention. The clan remedy she had given them actually helped curb the progression of the disease, and they responded much more rapidly to treatment. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the Uchiha's."

"It all but wiped out their clan, didn't it?" Sakura asked, her tone neutral.

"Ah. In the end, of the Four Noble Clans, only the Uchiha's suffered any major loss of life. The only known survivors of the Uchiha clan were the headman Fugaku, his wife, and sons."

"Sounds suspiciously familiar, doesn't it?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms.

Shino nodded slowly. "Hai. That thought had crossed my mind. Which leads me to my next question."

She looked to Shino expectantly.

"In the time that I have worked with you, it has been my observation that you prefer to gather all available data on your own, and then formulate your own conclusions. Would you say this is correct?"

Sakura nodded slowly. "I'd say that is a fair statement."

"Is it also a fair statement that you prefer this type of solo data mining to explanations, or filtered presentations of data?"

Sakura folded her hands and leaned on the desk, suddenly aware that Shino might not be discussing their current research. "I have always been one to form my own opinions," she said carefully. "Might I ask to what this pertains, specifically?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light.

"There are several levels of files kept though the ASF and ANBU." He said, picking up a small stack of files from the corner of her desk. "The general files available through the ASF have the least sensitive information, as they may be handled by civilians. The medical files available through the ASF are more specific with a level of chakra encoding to keep them secure, but include access to more sensitive information so as not to jeopardize the life of the agent, should they not be able to be treated by ANBU. The personnel and medical level files for ANBU are more detailed. Only the Hokage has access to the most detailed and comprehensive of the files; these detail entire medical and personal histories, as well as psychological evaluations, and mission records. The files are indecipherable in their physical or electronic forms without her clearance."

He gestured to the folders in his hands. "These are the ANBU research and medical versions of the files. They are the most comprehensive and unfiltered presentations of data available under our security clearance."

The quiet man stared at her from behind darkened lenses. "I believe you will find these to be helpful," he handed her several files. "You are on my security clearance until morning," he said, making his way to the door. "I presume you will use this knowledge at your discretion, and to your advantage. Have a good night," he bowed at the door, and then he was gone.

Sakura watched him leave with the odd sense that she had just been told far more than what was said. She shuffled through the files, laying them on the desk as she went.

Hyūga, Tokuma (MIA)

Hyuga, Hizashi (dec'd)

Kakashi, Hatake

Terumī Mei

Uchiha, Sasuke

Sakura's heart stopped. Instinctively her eyes darted around the room, and she saw the clock.

**5:46 pm**

To say the day had been tiring would be one of the grandest understatements that Sakura had ever had the pleasure to make. She was staring long and hard at a file on the desk, and making up her mind what to do about it. There was an odd feeling pricking at the back of her neck; something was telling her that she was at a precarious and critical crossroad – bigger than analyzing what happened with Kankurō, than 'discovering' and being recruited by ANBU – bigger than anything she had ever done. She closed her eyes as if trying to commit her life up until this point to memory, because she knew, innately, that it was all about to change irrevocably.

She needed more time.

There was no more time.

Sasuke.

Sasuke was being targeted.

Sasuke was a member of ANBU.

Sasuke was back in her life.

A million and three questions circled in her mind as her fingers traced over the familiar name as if trying to translate it from some long forgotten, half learned language.

She could ignore the file.

She could pretend she didn't see it and go home.

She could have Ino explain.

She knew she wouldn't.

She did exactly what she knew she would do.

She sat down at her desk, opened the file, and began to read.

**7:00 pm**

Neji told Kō he would bring Hinata home, and the faithful bodyguard reluctantly agreed to meet them at the Hyūga compound. As luck would have it, Hiashi had had a productive day, and was in an excellent mood. When his nephew and daughter arrived home later than expected and without explanation, he was all benevolence.

"Of course you had to stay," he hummed over his paperwork. "That is what makes the hospital so outstanding."

If Hinata was surprised by this display of understanding, she did not show it. She quietly assembled a small meal for herself and her cousin before preparing the next day's lunches.

"And so we start again," Neji said, with a light sigh. Hinata smiled to herself.

"And so we do."

"Hinata?" Kō rounded the corner. "Your father would like to speak with you."

"Thank you, Kō. Excuse me," she said to her cousin as she made her way to her father.

"Father?" she asked, knocking at the door.

"Come in,' he waved her in, and she closed the door behind herself. "I wanted to ask you about the preparations for the Seijin shiki. Everything is going well, I trust?"

Hinata bowed her head. Hanabi's coming of age party was part of the clan rituals, even more so as she was the clan heir. She had been working on the preparations for the better part of a year.

"H-Hai. T-the formal clan celebration has been s-set for several months now," she stammered slightly in the face of her father's sudden inquiry. "Many of the guests have already responded. Is… Is there something you are not pleased with-"

"No," he cut her off, not unkindly. "You have done well. I saw the list that you left on my desk. I noticed that even Sarutobi Hiruzen will be attending." He stopped and looked out of the window. "It has been quite some time since I saw him. He does not go out much since his retirement as head of the ASF. It is a great compliment to your sister that he would join us."

Hinata nodded with a gentle smile. "Hai."

"Master Sarutobi is advanced in years," Hiashi said, turning to take a seat at his desk. Although I see both Asuma and Kurenai will be attending, he might require some extra assistance."

Hinata kept her face impassive as she listened, knowing her father was working up to some unnamed subject. She also knew that if he had her list, he saw that she had assigned a clan member to attend to Master Sarutobi as an honored guest. Much as her mother had before her, she listened patiently to see what her father was proposing.

"Do you recall Master Sarutobi's grandson?"

Now this, she was not expecting. "K-Konohamaru? Hai – he is Kurenai-sensei's nephew."

"Ah," Hiashi nodded. "He is also an accomplished young man interning with the ASF. I had the occasion to speak with him recently when checking in with Genma." Hinata nodded. Genma was a liaison for bodyguard related duties at the ASF, so she was familiar with her father's weekly appointments with him. "I learned that he is most devoted to his grandfather, and it would be appropriate that he attend this function as a member of the Sarutobi family. I believe it would be a comfort to Master Sarutobi."

Hinata watched him carefully. The event was important to the clan, but it was ultimately about Hanabi. It might be nice for her to have a guest that was her age and not a clan member. "Certainly, Father," she said.

"There is something else," he continued. "Genma had requested that I meet with him today. He informed me that his information indicates it would be wise to have a few extra ASF personnel on hand. As Konohamaru is interning under one of Kakashi's subordinates, it was recommended that we include both Kakashi and at least one other member of his team. Please extend a formal invitation to them as well."

Hinata nodded politely. "You had a long day at the hospital," he said, turning in his chair to look out of the window. He watched her reflection in the glass. "Kō will attend me the rest of this evening. Be sure to get some rest."

"H-Hai." She said quietly, bowing and exiting the room. He continued to stare out of the window for quite some time after that, watching where she had stood. She looked so like her mother that sometimes he could not bear to watch her directly. He knew his wife would have been exceedingly proud of both of their daughters. He saw the reflection of her picture in the window and allowed himself the briefest of moments to feel as if she was still watching over them all. Sometimes, that was all that kept him moving forward.

**9:45 pm**

When the key finally turned in the lock, Ino looked up from the couch. Expectant? Guilty? Worried? She took one look at her best friend and roommate, and sighed.

"You know."

Sakura nodded. "I know."

Ino came over to her, took her bag, closed the door, brought her to the couch, and wrapped her in the fiercest, tightest, most bone-crushing-best-friend-hug she could offer. They rested their foreheads together for a long time before the blond handed her a scroll and a bottle of sake.

"Ask," was all she said, before settling into the crook of their shared couch, ready to answer all of the questions she saw swimming behind the jade of her best friend's eyes. Sakura opened the bottle, drank from it directly, opened the scroll, and started asking the questions that had haunted her dreams for many, many long nights. It had taken five years, but the time had finally come for answers.

**1:47 AM**

The vibrations of his phone jarred him out of his deep sleep. He fumbled for the obstinately buzzing appliance, bringing it to his ear with only about a third of his neurons firing coherently.

"Yeah?" he mumbled.

"When."

"When, what," he asked, raking a hand over his face.

"When were you going to tell me she was back?"

Naruto sighed. "She never left," he flopped onto his back. "You should be asking me when I was going to tell her _you_ were back. Or how long I knew about her working at the hospital. Or how I know that you have been drinking or you wouldn't have called me."

"Fine. How long did you know about her working at the hospital."

"Since she started."

Silence. Silence he instinctively knew was filled with the grinding of teeth and the pulsing of that muscle in his jaw.

"Look, man, can we talk about this tomorrow? If you are finally ready to hear what I've been trying to tell you for the last five years, I'm happy to go over it again."

"I have her file."

"I have her number. What's your point?"

"Her _file_, dobe," the snide retort snaked its way into his brain. "And her number might have been helpful four years ago."

'Only four years ago? Allowing yourself a whole excused calendar year?"

"Given the circumstances?" came the sarcastic response.

"Yeah, yeah. Circumstances. And stuff. Stuff that has waited five years and can wait a few more hours, Teme."

"Go back to bed," Sasuke grunted, knowing full well the idiot wouldn't even remember their conversation in the morning. In fact, that is why allowed himself to call, sake or no sake. He couldn't sleep, but he would swallow a rusty kunai before he admitted he wanted to talk to anyone about all of this.

"Right. Bed" Naruto sighed, already halfway to back asleep. "Tomorrow we'll discuss ways for you not to be a jerk so that you can have Sakura back again," he yawned. "I'm going to have Hinata help us."

"You're going to what, now?" Genuine surprise flooded over the line.

"Yeah. Got us help. It's going to be ok, now. Go to bed, Teme," and he hung up. He absolutely would not recall the phone call in the morning. He also wouldn't remember dreams of a sweet sad smile, long, dark hair, and the intriguing pressure of an alternately hard and soft body pressed underneath his own. He wouldn't recall the smell of lavender or jasmine, or the sound of soft breathing and a steady heartbeat. Those thoughts and memories were still too young and tentative to exist outside of dreams and half-hearted recollections. They kept him company in sleep though, which might be why he had been so eager to return to them. When he woke to destroy another alarm clock, they were gone, leaving only a sense of well-being and promises of things to come in their place.

* * *

**A/N:**

**You can't apparate in Hogwarts, and you can't use the Body Flicker Technique to access the ANBU partition of the ASF base without alerting the barrier corps.**

**Seijin shiki – Japanese coming of age ceremony**

**I am borrowing the name of a type of ceremony, but the concept is that the heir of the Huyga clan is being recognized as being of age.**

**Thank you for taking the time to read and review!**


	6. Chapter 6: Winds of Change

**A/N: I still don't own Naruto. Anytime the author would like to sign it over, though, I'm game.- gl**

**You Must Believe in Spring**

**Chapter Six: Winds of Change**

The sun was just coming up over the forests and hills of Konoha. The early morning mist was light, and would soon burn off, even if the day promised to be mild. It was so different from the harsh, cold, starkly beautiful mornings of Suna. Temari sat on the roof of the building, eyes fixed on the horizon. Suna was to the west; three days journey. There, the sun would rise over the cold sand of Suna and gradually set the terrain ablaze with the intense heat of day. Temari was used to getting up early in the day; not only was she bodyguard to the Kazekage, but she was used to training in those morning hours before the sun burned too brightly and sapped the body of strength. Of course, she trained in the heat as well; there was no point being a Shinobi in Suna and not being able to negotiate the heat. She looked at the lush, green terrain of Konoha and noted how different it was from her home. Not for the first time, she realized how alien everything must have been for her back then.

Life was harder in Suna, and it tended to make the people harder, or at least not welcoming to outsiders. That is what Haruno Sakura once admitted she was told before her family was transferred to the Land of Wind.

Temari guessed that if that was true it went double for the family of the Kazekage.

Where Konoha had grown with its ready access to natural resources and its main branch of the ASF, Suna was still very isolated with limiited access to water. In Konoha the Hokage was an honorary title given to the director of the ASF/ANBU forces. In Suna, the Kazegage was still a position of power outside of the ASF, and that man had been her father.

Temari's father had not been kind man. She supposed he wasn't really an _unkind_ man, but he was hardly one for affection. Their mother had been the gentle one, but she died leaving behind her three children. Temari was one year older than Kankurō, and three years older than Gaara. As the oldest she was hurried into the position of watching over her brothers. From a young age, she was taught to be strong. She was taught that there was no place for weakness in the desert. The desert destroyed the weak. The desert destroyed the gentle. The desert killed their mother. The desert gave rise to the demon that ate at the heart of her little brother while he slept. The desert was harsh, and unforgiving.

It was definitely not a place for where sakura would thrive.*

_Temari could still see the 12 year old girl with wide, green eyes, her red qiapo dress over shorts, and her forehead protector tied in her long, candy pink hair. She had been brought to one of the training areas in the ASF base by a civilian member that beat a hasty retreat after seeing Temari and Kankurō were the only two there. Temari looked her up and down, her arms crossed._

"_Let me guess," she said bluntly. "New transfer genin, undeveloped genjutsu type, top of your academic class, excellent chakra control, but only basic skills with weaponry. Basic might be kind," she passed a critical eye over the girl. Kankurō snickered as he tinkered with his puppets in the background._

"_H-How did you-," the genin stammered. The fact that she didn't contradict anything that Temari had said confirmed all of her suspicions._

"_Your forehead protector – which, if the name didn't give it away, should actually be used to cover that rather large forehead of yours, - is in your hair like decoration. It is too new and unmarred for you not to be a genin. I know all of the Suna genin, and I don't know you. You are a transfer. I see very little in the way of physical conditioning in your body. You actually made genin, so you must have relied on your mind. Genjutsu doesn't get developed until you are older anyway; the fact that you didn't try to mask anything tells me that you don't know how. You got this far on books. You are holding your composure, though; I can sense your chakra is being tightly controlled. You have overly maintained hair and painted nails where a ponytail and callouses should be. You clearly don't bother to work with weapons. If you don't work with weapons, you don't master them so you are probably passable at best. Obviously, you spend your time in two places: on your looks, and filling your mind. I'm not sure which activity you think will protect you in battle." _

_The girl gaped at her. Temari looked back, bored. With no warning and lightning speed, she hurled three kunai blades directly at the genin. She collapsed to the ground with an "EEEP!" and they sailed to slam into the target behind her, tightly grouped around the bulls-eye. _

"_At least your reflexes are good," Temari muttered. From her position cowering on the floor, the girl looked up sharply to stare. Temari followed her gaze and saw a pale figure walk past the door. A boy. A boy with red hair and black rimmed eyes. The same involuntary shiver passed through the three people in the room._

"_Get up, Pinky" Temari instructed, hands on her hips. The genin scrambled to her feet and brushed herself off, eyes darting nervously to the now-empty hall way._

"_Was that –"_

"_Ah, Sakura!" a voice came from the doorway. _

_Temari snorted. Of course the candy-pink girl would be named 'Sakura.' There was nothing less suited to be in Suna than this cherry-blossom-fragile genin._

_Both Kankurō and Temari stood straighter when Chiyo entered with Baki and several people they didn't recognize. A quick exchange of glances between the siblings; the visitors were from Leaf. The voice belonged to the old man in the ceremonial robes of the Hokage._

_The Leaf girl's eyes brightened. "Master Sarutobi," she bowed. Everyone in Konoha knew of the kind, grandfatherly director of the ASF branch – even Temari and Kankurō had heard of him. _

"_I was just telling Lady Chiyo about your achievements," the old man said brightly. "Excellent student," he nodded. "Top of her class; fantastic chakra control. She will work very hard under your tutelage, Lady Chiyo." _

_Temari did little more than quirk an eyebrow, but Kankurō's mouth fell open. He had been begging Chiyo to take him on as an apprentice for years now, and she was taking on a 12 year old Konoha genin?!_

"_She will work hard," Chiyo nodded. "I can assure you of that." _

_Temari watched the genin stand a little taller and try to appear brave in front of Master Sarutobi and Lady Chiyo. "Hai, Lady Chiyo," she bowed and said a little too loudly._

_Temari rolled her eyes. Just what they needed. A nervous, pink-haired leaf genin._

_She took a second to assess the other new comers. Two Jōnin. One a dark haired woman with red eyes and fair skin. One man with bright white hair, a mask over his face, and a forehead protector over his eye. Temari narrowed her eyes, remembering her father speaking about this man. This was the one they called the Copy Ninja. She flicked a glance over the two Hokage escort guards in traditional masks. One had brown hair and a cat mask; the other a dark ponytail and a weasel mask. No telling who they were, but they would definitely be ANBU level, both in terms of traditional training, as well as belonging to the ASF/ANBU branch. _

_Master Sarutobi crossed over to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Haruno, Sakura," he said kindly. "You are a credit to the Leaf. I expect you to be a credit to Suna as well. I look forward great things from you."_

_The girl blushed happily, but tried to keep her expression formal. "H-Hai, Master Sarutobi," she stammered._

_Temari smothered a sigh. The girl was trying not to cry. What 'great things' could these people possibly expect from this pampered pink-haired princess of an overly emotional genin. _

_Chiyo caught her eye, and her mischievous expression told Temari she knew exactly what she had been thinking. _

"_Temari and Kankurō will get you started," she said indicating the two siblings. "I shall return to speak with the three of you later," she then turned and led the Konoha contingent out of the room. Temari and Kankurō exchanged more significant looks while the girl slowly turned to face them, a curious hybrid of fear and determination lighting her bright green eyes._

"_Alright, Pinky," Temari looked her up and down, crossing her arms. "Let's see what you've got."_

"You couldn't wait out the morning on the ground level?" The lazy voice drifted up to her.

She looked down to see Shikamaru, hands in his pockets, looking up at her as if she were the most exasperating woman on the face of the planet. With a dragged out sigh, he jumped a few trees to come and sit next to her on the roof. She had one long leg extended, and she rested her forearm on the other where it bent at the knee. She wore a heavier cloak around her shoulders than most would wear – but she was used to the heat of Suna. He leaned back to lie against the slope of the roof, his arms crossed behind his head.

"Why up so early?" he asked, watching the last hint of stars disappear with the lightening sky.

"I'm always up early," she smirked at him. "What's your excuse?"

He turned and looked at her with one eye open. "You're always up early," he said flatly. "And I'm the one that has to get you back to base."

She turned her eyes back to the horizon, looking west this time. A small smile flitted across her face as her eyes locked onto a point in the distance. Shikamaru followed her gaze from his position and frowned as he raised himself up on his elbow. "Is that…?"

"Takamaru," she grinned roguishly, jumping to catch the scroll that the hawk dropped to her before heading to the aviary. She read the seal on the scroll, and her smile became positively wolfish. Shikamaru officially looked uncomfortable.

"Why is Suna's fastest messenger hawk contacting you," he asked warily.

"Why did Suna's fastest messenger hawk know where I was staying?" she retorted.

Shikamaru watched her carefully. They had a habit of telling each other things by not telling each other things. He had only told her he was taking her somewhere safe and out of the way. He never told her he was taking her to the Nara Clan Forest. Even if she had determined her general location, she couldn't have given direction to the small, ell hidden building his clan used when they needed to stay several days in the forest. In fact, the location had not been discussed at all. It had only been mentioned in a coded message to…

"Gaara," he said finally. "If he wanted to get information to you, why not contact me? Or use -"

"This?" Temari indicated her cell phone. "I turned it off as soon as I got to the hospital. You never know who is listening to what."

Shikamaru folded his arms and sat up. "Still."

She knew what that meant. It meant that it didn't explain why they would communicate via messenger bird. It didn't explain why Gaara would send a one way message. It did not, in fact, explain anything. They both knew that. They both knew it was intentional. She had a calculating gleam in her eye that he knew better than to trust.

"What's the matter, Nara?" she asked, putting the scroll inside of her cloak. "Can't figure this out?"

"The day I can figure out women is the day Naruto gives up ramen."

She reached a hand out to him to help him up. "Start with this much. If you come by to escort an unattended female before dawn, you should probably come bearing food."

Shikamaru gave a snort and pulled himself up. "You don't eat much in the mornings," he fished an orange out of the pack at his hip. "You don't like to be slowed down. And you know you won't stop to eat before you see Kankurō. Let's get going." He tossed her the orange before jumping back down to the ground. "And who says you were unattended?" he asked.

He stepped away from the small building and a tall deer stepped out to nuzzle his hand. "Get your things," he called back to her. She peeled the orange as she disappeared into the house, giving him a smirk over her shoulder. He watched her go inside before turning to the deer. "Thanks for watching over her, Rikumaru," he said softly. "I know what a drag these women can be."

The deer gazed back with unwavering eyes before nudging him in the shoulder. "Hai, hai," he sighed. "We'll get going. She will probably be back with her brother tonight. Keep watch." He stepped away and met Temari at the door. She had her fan on her back over her cloak, and her forehead protector dangled in her hand. She paused at his look, her eyes searching his. They stared in silence at each other for a moment before he held out his hand to her. She took it without hesitation and allowed him to pull her to his side. They were both people that valued their privacy, and neither one was really comfortable with overt signs of affection; at least with witnesses. Shikamaru rested his forehead against hers, gently.

"Whatever it is you are planning," he said quietly. "Please tell me it doesn't have anything to do with going after any potential poisoners."

She shook her head, and she did not tease him in the slightest. When he asked for honesty in this tone, that is what she gave. "It has nothing to do with that," she assured him calmly. "Neither Gaara nor I will do anything to risk bringing that kind of threat back to base where it can harm our friends."

Shikamaru pulled back so he could look her in the eyes. Tightening his hold on her hand, and putting the other on her shoulder, he looked to her seriously. "I'm not worried about another threat," he said frankly. "I am worried about you."

Temari's normally serious features softened into a gentle smile. She squeezed his hand back. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I will do my best not to give you reason to worry."

He nodded and kissed her forehead lightly before stepping back and flicking a glance at the forehead protector dangling in her hand. She gave a single nod in response and put it on. He did not joke or call her troublesome. She did not tease him about doubting her abilities or his being a worrier. It was part of their intricate and evolving dynamic that allowed them moments of absolute transparency in lives that relied so heavily on obfuscation.

A moment later they were gone, leaving nothing but a few stirring leaves in their wake.

* * *

Hinata went through her early morning routine with quiet efficiency even earlier than usual. Her father had been told by a messenger from Lady Tsunade that she would be needed at the hospital for the majority of the day, and the next morning. Hiashi normally would have equivocated over that, especially as Hanabi's birthday was fast approaching. The fact that he seemed unperturbed made her suspicious.

She left a note for Hanabi telling her she would be at the hospital most of the day, and quietly slipped out of the house before Neji had even come to the kitchen for breakfast.

It was not, however, early enough to surprise Kō. "Shall I take you to the hospital?" he asked, eyeing the large backpack she had with her.

Hinata shook her head, "N-No thank you, Kō. I am not going alone. Please make sure Hanabi gets the note I left. I made the lunches. I shall be at the hospital for quite some time. Father knows." She checked the time. It was time to go. "Thank you," she said warmly to him.

Kō gave a short bow and watched her leave, noting how excited she looked.

Hinata slipped out of the house, and had no sooner cleared the front gate when she was met with three familiar faces.

"Oi, Hinata," Kiba smiled wolfishly, getting off of Akamaru. "Finally decided to join the party?"

Hinata stopped in her tracks. "A-am I late? I am s-sorry if I kept you waiting," she apologized, especially to Shino.

Shino shook his head. "No. You are not to be sorry. That is because, you are not late. Kiba was stupidly referring to your new assignment with us. I say stupidly because it was neither a clever remark, nor appropriate to make where it could be overheard."

Kiba rolled his eyes at Shino. He walked over to Hinata and took the backpack from her. They had been an effective team, and the three of them were still expected to train together and serve on at least one mission a month, even if it was a simple training exercise. "Let me take that," he easily swung the bag over his shoulder before draping an arm across her shoulders. "Can't believe our little girl is all grown up and playing with the big kids," he teased her, squeezing her in a one-armed hug.

"That is an even stupider comment," Shino intoned, "That is because –"

"E-excuse me, Shino," Hinata interrupted apologetically, "But I brought us breakfast to share after we train. I-I'd like to have some time to get ready before everything starts."

Shino managed not to sigh. "Very well. Let's go."

* * *

Sakura might have a headache. It might even be a hangover. Whatever it was, it was way too early for it to be there. She sat up in her bed, and rubbed her temples. With a small burst of chakra, she pushed the pain away, knowing she needed at least an hour or two more of good sleep.

A familiar face came swimming before her eyes; and she shoved it aside. There was so much she didn't know. She had read through two versions of Sasuke's file and had about a million questions to ask. He had been a Jōnin before he turned 16. He left the village after his parents were killed, presumably by his brother, and sided with S-rank criminal Orochimaru. Orochimaru had infected him with the Cursed Seal of Heaven. He was gone almost two years.

Naruto worked actively to bring him back and stuck by him through the whole ordeal. He had returned after defeating Orochimaru, but it did not appear that he managed to find his brother. He returned to ANBU and enrolled at Konoha University with the rest of their friends to keep up his civilian cover.

At the beginning of his third year at KU he left again. She read the notes of her own statement, detailing how he had left. She didn't know that Inoichi had done a mental scan to make sure her memories were accurate. She didn't know that his departure had been cause for alarm in ANBU, and launched a recovery mission. She didn't know that he had knowingly and willingly gone headlong into a certain death situation, not only for revenge, but to protect his friends. She didn't know it took him and most of ANBU to take down an internal organization known as ROOT headed up by someone named Danzo. She did't know he had then spent the next several years working with his fellow agents to rebuild ANBU from the inside out.

In the end, she hadn't known anything.

"He was right," she whispered, a tear trailing down her face. "I would have only slowed him down."

* * *

Sasuke sat up on the edge of his bed, raking his fingers through his hair. It was not usual for him to drink alone, but the two empty bottles of sake in his kitchen and a late night call to Naruto indicated he had made an exception.

Despite being an early riser, he was not particularly a morning person, and he definitely wasn't a pre-morning person. He willed his headache to vanish, closed his eyes, and collected his thoughts. His photographic memory taunted him with a visual of the file that he couldn't stop mentally rereading.

She had left for Suna when her father transferred, shortly after they became genin. She was not assigned to a new genin team initially. She did not attend the chūnin exams the first time around.

She was immediately taken to work under Chiyo. Given his family's connections in the medical world, he knew this was virtually unheard of, and was duly impressed. Sakura had worked on ANBU level research and had not known it. Chiyo's lab had been responsible for analyzing the Cursed Seal of Heaven, and helped isolate the biological nature of the mark. He stared into the dark room. She had been helping him long before they had reconnected.

The account of her time in Suna was a long list of academic accomplishments. It did not mention her shinobi team, but he knew she had to have one. He was surprised to see that before she left Konoha, she had been slated to be on a team with him and Naruto. He closed his eyes. What would have been like to have been on a team with Sakura when they were children? He smirked. He knew exactly what it would have been like. They had all been obnoxious in their own way. Kakashi would have had a hell of a time.

Something gnawed him when he thought of her as belonging to Suna. She did not belong in Suna; no matter what the paperwork said. No matter if she went to train with her team once a month. She belonged to the Leaf. She belonged in Konoha.

Inevitably, his memory went to the night that he left. Inoichi had to verify her memory, and a transcription of what he had seen through her eyes was in her file. Sasuke didn't bother to read it; he knew what she had seen.

He looked over his shoulder at the pale light and sighed heavily. He was done sleeping, he knew that. He padded into the bathroom and washed his face before searching the eyes of his reflection. There was no outward sign of his inner turmoil, if you ignored the very slight darkness under his eyes, the stress in his frame, the disheveled hair... He shoved away from the counter and moved purposefully back into his room. In less than a minute, he was dressed in workout clothes and taking a private elevator down to his exercise facility. He went immediately to the punching bag and let his fists fly. It was a particularly satisfying way to battle old demons.

* * *

Sakura knew she wasn't going back to bed. After an hour of drifting in and out of sleep, she knew she was done. She stretched in her bed and wished she could go for a run or something – maybe punch a few trees to smithereens. Tsunade had advised that she was going to have physical trials today, and not to use up her chakra unnecessarily. Both she and Hinata were going to be evaluated individually and within the team context. Sakura smiled to herself. As far as the paperwork was concerned, she was still a Suna Shinobi.; no way was her team going to be pulled to ANBU just for an exercise. Tsunade had told her she would probably be put on a makeshift team. That was fine; as a medic-nin, she had to be ready to work with a variety of teams and at any given time. In fact, even since relocating to Konoha, she hadn't been assigned to a team. As the person slated to take over the hospital as head medical-nin, the village decided she was already serving the village.

She lightly touched the pale diamond on her forehead. It had been a long time since she had to really fight. Tsunade had flicked her in the forehead yesterday saying "You won't need that." Fine by her.

Sakura rolled out of bed and stretched before meditating. She kept gathering chakra into her seal, and fought for balance. She had so much new information to digest, but she needed to get through today without distraction.

"You can't help me," the voice floated up from her subconscious. She gritted her teeth. Focus.

"Here," Ino entered her room with a cup of coffee and pressed it into her hands. "I figured you'd be up."

Sakura opened her eyes in surprise. "Why are you up?"

Ino shrugged. "My best friend had a crappy night and is about to go kick some major backside today. Where else would I be?"

Sakura half laughed before taking a huge gulp from the mug in her hands. She was a health nut, but she allowed herself the occasional coffee, and more than the occasional sake or wine.

"You're the best," Sakura sighed.

Ino watched her.

"You ok?" she asked sitting on the floor with her.

Sakura gave a half shrug. "I don't know what I am today," she said, wrapping her fingers around her mug. "I have a lot in my head."

"That's nothing new," Ino teased, pushing her finger playfully against Sakura's forehead.

"Remember the basketball game?" Sakura stared into her coffee with a small smile. "The first one?"

Ino gave a half laugh. "Yeah. Yeah I do."

_She had been walking across campus, soaking in the familiarity of Konoha, and getting lost in her own little world._

"_Sakura!" a voice called out from nowhere. She immediately smiled in disbelief._

"_Naruto?!" she asked, her eyes wide. She gasped as he snatched her up and spun her around before crushing her in a bear hug. "Naruto! I can't believe it's you! I didn't think I'd know anyone here!" It was true. She had left so long ago; she didn't think she would have any friends, except maybe for Ino._

"_You sure do," he dragged her over to the court. "Come see the gang! Hey GUYS!" He yelled. "Look who's back!" _

"_Sakura!" Kiba smiled wolfishly, the basketball tucked under his arm. "Long time no see!" _

"_Sakura!" Choji came forward, enveloping her in a big hug. "Welcome back!" _

"_No way – FOREHEAD!" _

_Sakura turned sharply and saw Ino running toward her, Shikamaru sauntering behind her carrying a picnic basket and a blanket. "INO-PIG!" she screeched and the girls met in a fierce hug._

"_When did you get back to Konoha?!" The blonde gushed._

"_Just this week – I transferred after a semester at Suna to come study under Lady Tsunade."_

_Ino's eyes went wide, "YOU'RE the new girl?!" she gasped. "Shizune was in the flower shop yesterday telling me about the outstanding transfer from Suna that got accepted into the medical-nin fast track. In fact," she grinned, "I heard that you were __invited__ to come. Man, you must really have crammed that head of yours full," she playfully tapped Sakura's forehead._

"_Wow – amazing," Naruto gaped at Sakura. _

"_Uh-oh," Shikamaru looked up. "Incoming."_

_A streak of green came racing toward them, and Lee bounded up "I am ready for our contest of YOUTH!" he cried, and then he spotted Sakura. He blinked several times before gasping and pointing at her in astonishment. "You are Haruno Sakura!" he declared as she tried to keep a straight face. "You were a year behind us in the academy!"_

"_Uh… yeah, I guess,...?" Sakura looked between Lee and her friends. _

"_You are looking very youthful today!" he gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up complete with glinting smile. _

"_Th..thanks," she smiled politely. _

"_I can't believe you are back in Konoha," Naruto looped an arm over her shoulder. _

"_I can't believe how much taller everyone is," she looked up at him dryly. _

"_C'mon," Ino grabbed her hand. "Come sit and share a picnic with me while the boys start their game. Sakura raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru who was already laying on the blanket with his back to a tree. _

"_Not playing?" she asked him._

"_Too troublesome," he sighed watching a cloud on the horizon. "Besides – the other two will be here shortly."_

"_What other two?"_

"_HEY!" Naruto cupped his hands and yelled behind him. "Hurry it up, you two!"_

_From two different directions, two of the best looking guys she had ever seen came sauntering up to the court. And one of them was Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura knew Ino was watching her, so she very carefully did little more than blink._

"_Not bad, right," Ino whispered in her ear. _

_Sakura allowed herself a small grin. "Not bad at all," she slid a glance over to the blonde before they started giggling conspiratorially. She saw Neji eye her appraisingly, and Sasuke gave some kind of snort before muttering something. _

_She couldn't really blame him; she had been a pain all those years ago. '"Oh well," she thought as she leaned against the tree and crossed her ankles in front of her and fished her giant refillable water bottle out of her bag. "At least one of us had an attitude change."_

"_Don't worry," Ino said, taking out an apple and handing it to her. "It gets better."_

_Sakura raised an eyebrow at her. What got better? They talked about everything and nothing while Shikamaru appeared to doze in the shade. Ino filled them in on everyone and their major. She told her about some of the other friends like Shino, Hinata, and Tenten. "You'll meet Tenten later on. She must be at practice."_

"_Practice for what?"_

_Ino rolled her eyes. "Could be anything. Soccer, archery, darts, target shooting; she is a real sports nut. I've heard she never misses her mark," Ino continued eyeing the court. "If she ever puts her mind to it, one of those boys could be in real trouble."_

_Sakura's eyes lit up; Ino had a way of knowing all of the gossip. "Which one?" she grinned cheekily._

"_Could be any of them," Ino gave a sly smile._

"_Time out, guys," Naruto called from the court. "Water break!" Naruto tossed some bottles to the guys who wandered around the court downing their water. He jogged over to where Ino and Sakura were sitting, and Ino tossed him an orange. "Thanks," he smiled warmly._

"_Don't thank me," Ino shrugged. "Thank Chōji; he packs the baskets."_

"_Oi, Naruto," Kiba called out to him. "You taking a water break or a lunch break? Come back over so we can kick your ass!"_

"_Hai, Hai," Naruto gave an apologetic shrug to the girls and went back to the court. It was Lee, Kiba, and Neji against Naruto, Sasuke, and Chōji. _

"_Remember I told you it gets better?" Ino had asked. "Well here it comes in 3…, 2…, 1." Sakura followed her eyes to the court. The game was getting serious, and the shirts were coming off. Sakura felt her jaw drop, slightly. Sakura had a highly functional working knowledge of the human body, and was rarely if ever embarrassed by it. She could not say that before that moment it had ever rendered speechless. From Naruto and Kiba's broader builds to Lee's energetic form, to Choji's surprisingly solid build – it was all incredible. However, Neji and Sasuke were in a league of their own. They both emanated a lithe ferocity that that had little to do with their well-muscled bodies and everything to do with an air of "something" about them._

_Ino reached over and put her finger under Sakura's chin and closed her mouth. "What did I tell you?" she whispered. _

"_Tiresome," Shikamaru sighed from the blanket. "Ino, did you bring bandages?"_

_Ino frowned. "Yeah, why?"_

"_Because Naruto is about to try a weird play."_

"_How do you know-"_

_A chorus of "Hey!" "Watch it!" "Dobe!" and other exclamations burst from the court where Naruto effectively landed on Kiba and Sasuke, skidding them both across the concrete. _

"_Every freakin' time," Kiba groaned, sitting up from the pavement and looking at the raspberry on his elbow and the cuts on his leg. "I thought NOT being on your team would keep me safe," he joked._

"_Let me see," Sakura waded into the group, surprising them all. She knelt down to Kiba and took his arm to brush the dirt and gravel off with a soft shirt she had yanked out of her bag. _

"_What are you-," Kiba watched wide-eyed as her hand glowed green and his skin knitted back together and faded to a far less angry color. She did the same to the deep muscle bruise beginning on his shoulder blade, the cuts on his arm, and a scratch on his knee. _

"_Nothing broken," she smiled. "But looks like you bruised some ribs recently. How hard to you boys play?" she teased. _

_Kiba grinned widely at her. "You don't want to know," he promised her. "Better take a look at Uchiha, though," he nodded to the man shooting him venomous looks. "Naruto got him worse than me." She turned to look at Sasuke who had an angry abrasion on the side of his leg, the side of his ribs and running up his back where Naruto had knocked him down to skid across the court._

"_Wow," she blinked as she stood and then looked over to Naruto. "You do know he was on your team, right?"_

_Naruto laughed nervously. "Yeah… I thought for sure that play would work this time."_

"_It never works, Naruto," Shikamaru called from under the tree. "Sasuke, let Sakura patch you up so we can actually see a decent game for once."_

_The guys laughed at him, and even Sasuke gave a half smirk of amusement. "I don't need to be patched up to play these guys," Sasuke said from his seat on the court._

"_Scared, teme?" Naruto jibed him. "Kiba survived – I think you'll be ok."_

_Sakura shrugged and turned to go. "I don't force treatment on stubborn people unless they are registered patients."_

"_Fine," Sasuke growled. She looked over her shoulder. "Get it over with," he muttered. _

_She crossed her arms, and Naruto stepped in front of her. "Get it over with, please," he demanded while the other guys tried not to laugh. "He has no manners," he said to Sakura over his shoulder. _

"_Glad to see some things never change," she said lightly, and the boys broke out in genuine laughter. She knelt next to him and with barely a glance at his face and used her shirt to brush away the dirt and take a better look at the abrasions. She flicked a sympathetic glance up to him, and his eyes bored into hers, as if he was scouring her for information; for some motive she had not voiced. Psht. She had Tsunade staring her down on a regular basis. He wasn't even close to scary. "Hold still," she said quietly. "I'm not going to bite you, you know," she muttered so softly he was sure he was the only one who heard. She hovered her glowing palm over his leg, up his side, and across his back. She paused and brought her hand back over the top of his shoulder with a small frown. He had strained it, probably not in this particular skirmish. "That should do it," she pulled her hand away. She hadn't actually touched her palm to him at any time, but he stared at her hand with mistrust. _

"_That was awesome, Sakura," Naruto reached down to help her up. "How long have you been studying medical ninjutsu?"_

"_Since I got to Suna," she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Better get back to your game, boys," she backed away toward the blanket. "You don't want to make Shikamaru actually get up, do you?"_

"_That's right," he called lazily from the blanket. "What she said."_

_Sakura came back to sit by Ino, who was far too impressed to be jealous. "What do you think?" the blonde asked cheekily. _

_Sakura gave an impish smile. "It's good to be home."_

"That day," Sakura mused, "I felt like I finally came home. I… I feel like we are coming full circle now. We're all on the same side, and working at a much higher level. I... I don't want to lose my home and my friends, Ino," she said quietly. "Not again."

Ino wrapped her arm around her. "It doesn't matter what our files say. We are all friends. We are all shinobi. We are all family. Our lives are unpredictable, and loss can come at any time. That is why we cherish our comrades and build the bonds that we do. You are part of our home, too," she gave Sakura an extra squeeze. "No one can take that from us."

Sakura hugged her friend back tightly. "C'mon" Ino pulled her up. "Breakfast, showers, and then to the base. You have to meet Tenten this morning."

Sakura nodded. "Home," she thought to herself. "This is home. I don't have to run any more. It can't be taken from me. No matter what, I am home." She agreed with her assessment from all those years ago.

It was good to be home.

* * *

Team Eight was a tracking unit. They were accustomed to being up early, moving quickly and quietly, and having little to no time to stop. No shinobi is supposed to leave traces of their presence, but this team was triply careful on that count. They could make or break camp in record time.

On a practical note, it meant that Kiba and Shino didn't have to wait around for Hinata to get ready. They counted themselves lucky to have the most low-maintenance kunoichi in their class, and were fiercely loyal to her.

"How long before Hiashi finds out and flips his Byakugan about this?" Kiba drawled, tying his forehead protector back on.

Shino pulled up his hood with a neutral expression that the years had taught Kiba meant that he was thinking deeply. "It is difficult to say," he finally admitted. "That is because, we do not know what he will be told about her affiliation with the ASF, or ANBU."

They stepped out of the men's locker room to find Hinata dressed in the standard issue navy blue field uniform with the green flack vest, her wet hair in a high, braided ponytail. She smiled at them and picked up the backpack containing the food she had prepared.

Hinata would be the first to admit that Shino and Kiba had been her only real friends for a very long time. She was grateful that the village required its shinobi to continue to train, and that her father never questioned this. It became more complicated once she became the Hyūga clan-mother. Technically she could be exempted from her shinobi duties, but she convinced her father that she would be a better example if she continued in her service to the Leaf.

"_This will have to change when you marry," he had said in a lofty tone. _

"_Th-that would be my husband's problem then," she had said with a half-smile that caught him completely off guard. "O-or at least that is what Okasaan told me." _

He had been too stunned to contradict or reprimand her, and Hinata was pleased to note that the mention of any future marriage had disappeared. Now that she thought of it, he hadn't said anything on the subject for quite a while. She mentally sighed. With Hanabi's party around the corner, it was bound to come up again, and soon.

"Yo, Hinata," Kiba smiled. "Just like old times! Let's go eat."

"Hai," she smiled brightly. "I have w-winter melon, Shino" she added with a small smile.

Shino would never admit how pleased he was that she showed this consideration. They went to a common area and broke out the food; largely fruit and some cinnamon rolls, as well as some jerky for Kiba and Akamaru. "Today you will be tested individually and with us as your team," He informed her. "This is important. Why you may ask? It is because, that with the targeting of kekkai genkai, you will also be targeted. This will show that you are capable of defending yourself, and that if you are given any field work that it be imperative to keep our team intact."

Hinata looked up from her cinnamon roll. "I-I don't think I will be given much field work," she said in her quiet voice. "Lady Tsunade wants to me to stay as the h-head nurse for Sakura."

"Field medics are a commodity," Shino pointed out. "A sensory type medic is a rare commodity. This makes you more likely to be assigned. It is just something we have to keep in mind."

"God, I missed your cooking," Kiba said warmly, earning a stare from Shino. "What?" he shrugged. "You already said everything she needed to hear on the other stuff. Don't worry, Hinata," he reached over and put a hand over hers protectively. "We're going to be with you all the way today. Team Eight is back!" he smiled broadly.

She smiled gently at them both. It was good to be back.

* * *

The file on Sakura began with her entrance to the academy.

Sai had asked what she had been like.

He hadn't really paid much attention to her back then. He hadn't paid attention to anyone back then. He had only wanted recognition from two people: his father and his brother. Of course, he remembered her being one of the girls that tried to fawn over him. He remembered that she had been one of the only ones to keep up with him academically. She was barely mediocre with her field skills, though. Sakura was listed as a genjutsu type, but nowhere in her record was it indicated that she used genjutsu. She was resistant to genjutsus as well as able to detect them, but he saw no record of their practical application. He frowned. This was the kind of talent that normally got picked up on right away and developed. Why hadn't she been assigned under Kurenai? Why did it continue to go undeveloped?

Sasuke let the hot water run over him.

There were things about her file that bothered him, he decided as he washed his hair. He was well aware that he was looking at a mission specific file, so there were bound to be details left out. A symbol floated in his memory. It was a mark on the scroll itself that he had almost missed. Almost. He was going to have to ask Sai if it meant anything to him. He knew it was nothing he had ever seen in any file during his time at ANBU, and that was saying something. Perhaps it had something to do with her Suna connection.

He snapped the water off, grabbed two towels off of the rack, wrapped one around his hips, toweled his hair off with the other, and checked the time. 7:00 AM. He put on the standard black-ops gear which was, fittingly, black. The field uniforms were navy, but he was rarely called to wear it. He pulled the fitted shirt over his chest before putting on his black high-collared shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back. He reflexively checked his reflection for the curse mark, but it had been gone for quite some time. He did have the ANBU tattoo – all of the agents did – but it was now placed as a sort of chakra seal that could be concealed or revealed at will. Not much use tatting up someone who lives undercover. There was a reason they were not supposed to bear any identifiable marks.

He made his way through to the kitchen and flicked on his kettle, absently thinking about his day. He didn't have to be back at base until 9:30 to meet with Kakashi. That strange symbol in the scroll was bothering him. Perhaps it was a stray mark from Sai's transcription? It was possible. He did have time to drop by the library or the cryptanalysis team. Maybe one of them would know what it was.

He took a bite of the apple before he realized he had reached for it. He turned it over in his hand, chewing slowly as he leaned against his kitchen counter. That was how she had come into his life. From nowhere. One day she was back in Konoha, and some other day after that, he found himself spending time with her.

"_I'm not going to bite you, you know," she muttered so softly he was sure he was the only one who heard. _

That is what she had said to him that first day during the basketball game. The green energy flowing around her palm was cool and soothing on his abraded skin, and he could feel the stinging melt away. She never touched him; her hand hovered over his body. That didn't mean that he didn't feel the presence of her touch. Perhaps it was because she so studiously ignored staring at his chest and abs. Perhaps because she focused on what she was doing and not to whom. Perhaps because she detected the old injury in his shoulder that had healed badly in the field several months ago, and corrected it with less than a thought. From that moment on, she was, quite literally, under his skin. He hadn't thanked her, or really even acknowledged the favor she did for him. He had watched her warily, ready at any second for the crazed fan girl he had known to spring at him. But she didn't. She returned to the blanket where she and Ino chatted happily as they cheered on their friends.

"_Better pay attention," a voice had said in his ear as he felt someone swipe at the ball he was dribbling. He looked up to see Neji staring him down competitively. "Or the game will be snatched right from under your nose." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but he was too slow. Neji swiped the ball and Sasuke was blocked by the lighting-fast appearance of Lee while the Hyūga effortlessly sank a 3-pointer. The girls cheered from under the tree as they cheered for both sides, but Neji and Sasuke exchanged significant looks. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. So the Hyūga wanted to compete off of the court, did he?_

_Game. On._

Sasuke finished his apple and washed his hands. He had been out of her life for five years, and had left an opening that even a not-so-clever man could have waltzed right in to fill. He may not particularly care for Neji, but he was definitely a clever man. She worked in the Hyūga hospital and with his cousin as her lead nurse. Is that why Naruto hadn't mentioned where she was? And why did he think that Hinata was going to help him now? What about her made her a potential ally? Sasuke crossed his arms and tried to remember anything about the former Hyūga heir.

Sakura's record showed their class rankings. He remembered that he, Shino, Ino, and Sakura consistently scored well, but was genuinely surprised to find the Hyūga girl was listed right with the rest of them at the top of the class; at least academically speaking. Sasuke arched an eyebrow at this. He had no recollection of her accomplishments, but according to the file, she consistently scored as high as or sometimes higher than Sakura and Ino.

Ino, he remembered. Ino was the most accomplished kunoichi in their class. Her battle sense, jutsus, weapon usage, and practical intelligence set her apart. Sakura consistently answered questions correctly in class and could spout off random minutia regarding ninja laws and codes, but was only average with weapons. Sasuke found he had not a single memory of Hinata as a student. He had a vague recollection of her standing off to the side stammering and blushing. He paused, a vital difference coming to mind. She never stammered or blushed at him. She was always watching Naruto.

Sasuke frowned. Their clans were not known to be much more than civil to one another, so he wasn't really surprised that he was dismissive of her. No. What unnerved him was that while he prided himself on noticing the world around him, he had little more than a cursory recollection of the Hyūga girl.

The kettle whistled insistently and he moved to prepare his tea to steep. He was old-fashioned when it came to tea, and had a deep appreciation for it. He supposed it was left over from his mother, although if he thought about it, Itachi had always been fond of a good pot of tea.

"_Drink this." He could just make out Itachi sitting on the edge of his bed. "It will make you feel better." He felt a strong arm help him sit up and support him as he sipped the warm, soothing liquid. He was half delirious from fever, but he did as he was told before dropping back against his pillows in exhaustion, barely registering the sensation of the poultice on his chest being changed. As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered if this was that tea from earlier that day-_

He suddenly stood away from the counter with a jolt. He _did_ have one vague memory. It was as if someone had released a trapped image in his mind that came bubbling up to the surface from depths unknown.

_He wasn't feeling well, and Itachi was there to walk him home from school. A Hyūga woman approached Itachi politely, and his older brother had bowed immediately. _

"_Lady Hyūga," he had addressed the clan mother with deference, and shoved his younger brother's head down when he hadn't bowed quickly enough. "How may I help you?"_

_She gestured to the small figure standing – no – hiding behind her. "My daughter noticed that your younger brother has the same symptoms that many of our clan members have had these last two weeks. She asked if I would bring these to you. It seems none of the other students in her class have fallen ill, but I have left a message with her teacher to contact us if they do. We would be honored if you took this," she waved a hand to what looked to be several bento boxes held by the bodyguard Sasuke usually saw with Hinata._

_Itachi was clearly taken off-guard – something his younger brother rarely if ever saw. "Herbal clan remedies," she explained. "A tea and poultice that seem to have given our clan members some relief. I wrote out the directions," she advised kindly. "There is enough for your immediate family." The matriarch paused and glanced at him before looking back to Itachi. _

"_I know it is unusual for the Hyūga's and the Uchiha's to reach out to one another," she said gently, "but our families seem to be particularly affected by this recent illness. If we can help alleviate the suffering of any of your clan, please let us know."_

_Sasuke had stared openly as this went on. He was in the early stages of fever, and would miss the next five days of school, but even in the beginnings of his delirious state, he recognized that this was a strange and momentous offer. He looked to his classmate as if for an explanation, but she kept her head politely lowered and her hands clasped in front of her._

"_I am grateful," Itachi bowed politely, "but perhaps you should speak directly to our mother – as clan-mother to clan-mother?"_

_The woman looked behind her to her daughter and then over to the flushed face of Sasuke. "Right now," she said in a gentle voice, "I am not approaching you as the Hyūga clan-mother," she looked at Itachi, her eyes kind. "I am reaching out as the mother to my daughter to the elder brother of her classmate. You know as well as I that formal clan interactions are far more complicated and tend to generate suspicion. I shall do as you ask, but humbly suggest that you tend to your younger brother immediately. This particular malady seems to move quickly once it has set in."_

_Itachi understood all too well. "I shall, Lady Hyūga" he bowed deeply. Sasuke did bow that time, but he found himself losing his balance and beginning to stumble. Itachi caught him, worry etched into the deepening lines under his eyes. _

"_Hurry," the kind woman urged him. "Kō, please follow Itachi and carry the medicine for him so he can tend to his brother." With less than a word, Itachi put Sasuke on his back and sped away, the Hyūga man following silently in his wake. Sasuke spent the next three days in and out of a delirious state, but when his fever broke and he came to, he was in his own room. It took another several days to recuperate, but his recovery had been full and swift, and he had not needed to go to the hospital. _

_The rest of his clan had not been so lucky. By the end of the month, only he, his parents, and Itachi would remain. The night his fever broke, he woke up to find his brother sitting on his bed, staring out of the window. "Sasuke," he said, his focus on the night sky. "I want you to remember something."_

"_What is it, nii-san?"_

"_A small act of kindness can have a tremendous effect. It can be more_ _effective than the most carefully laid strategy, or the most well-crafted attack. A small kindness is what kept us from losing you." Itachi turned to look at him, and Sasuke was shocked to see the pale, tell-tale trace of a tear damp on his cheek. "I will always be grateful for that small kindness." _

Sasuke shook his head abruptly. Where had _**that**_ memory been hiding? That had been during the Clan Plague. His family had been the only Uchiha survivors. Had the four of them been spared because of the observations of one, imminently forgettable girl? Sasuke frowned. That seemed to be highly unlikely. Did he owe the Hyūga's his gratitude? That was even more unlikely. Perhaps he would concede to be grateful to the girl he vaguely remembered as having short hair and the Hyūga eyes.

He refused to spare a kind thought for Neji. Neji was a smart man, and Sasuke knew that his once-rival had been present for his once-lover and could very well have stepped right in to fill the hole he had left in her heart. That was not a possibility he was ready to acknowledge. He certainly wasn't ready to acknowledge the gaping hole in his own life that he had ignored for so very long.

He sighed as he reached for his tea. With any luck, he would be out on assignment after today, and be able to avoid Haruno Sakura as long as possible.

* * *

"You're early," Tenten chirped to Sakura.

"Couldn't wait," she gave a tight smile.

"Tsunade kicked you out of the hospital?" Tenten asked knowingly.

"Yes," Sakura snarled in frustration. "And they won't even tell me where Kankurō is to check up on him. She said to come down and speak to you instead."

"Always good to be second choice," Tenten nodded reaching for a large plastic bin. She shushed Sakura before she could apologize. "Save it – it's too early and we've known each other too long. Let's get started. Here is your field uniform; you'll need this for today," she handed over the navy and green ensemble that she was also wearing. Sakura saw the familiar pouches and wrappings and shinobi sandals that would make up the rest of her gear. The field outfit for ANBU was the same for the ASF and Konoha general forces to allow agents to blend in. "The armory also takes care of any uniform concerns, so if this isn't your size, you come talk to me. Don't bother with asking if it makes your butt look big; the answer is: yes. They all do." She reached behind her and scooped up a handful of shuriken and kunai. "You'll need these," she placed them next to the pouches. "And a ration of soldier pills, canteen, etc."

"Where is this field test, exactly," Sakura asked dryly. "Kumogakure?"

"Try these on," Tenten handed her a box with a grin.

Sakura took the package with a suspicious look at Tenten, but smiled as soon as she lifted the lid. She pulled the black gloves on and flexed her fingers inside of them. "These are perfect," she said with a gleam in her eye. "How did you know?"

Tenten looked smug. "I told you I had your number, Haruno. Those are made of a special fabric that is conductive to chakra. The inside will better allow your chakra out, but the exterior will absorb impact. I had Tsunade test the prototypes."

Sakura looked up in surprise. "She hates gloves."

"So I heard," Tenten said wryly. "Several times. But they do work."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Why develop something for Tsunade that she wouldn't use?"

Tenten arched an eyebrow. "Who said I developed them for Tsunade?" Sakura's mouth opened in surprise. "C'mon Sakura, it was only a matter of time before you joined the team. She wouldn't have bothered teaching you all that she did about field work and combat – or evading combat – if she didn't think you might have to use that training someday. What kind of weapons specialist would I be if I didn't prepare for Tsunade Mach II? We have to protect those hands of yours."

Sakura looked down to her gloved hands, and then back up to Tenten wickedly. "Does this mean that these," she held up her hands, "are registered as weapons?"

"Damn straight," Tenten smirked. "And I always look after my weaponry."

The girls giggled as Tenten pulled a few more things out to add to Sakura's bin. "Let's get the rest of your gear, and I'll show you to the locker room," she smiled. "I'll give you a half tour while we go, and fill you in on what's going on today."

Sakura grinned and pounded her fist into her palm. "Bring it!"

* * *

Naruto yawned in his seat across from Kakashi and Sai. "What is it with you people and early morning meetings this week," he griped, rubbing the heel of his hand into his eye. Sai had shown up at his house shortly after he decimated and yet another alarm clock, saying that they had an urgent meeting. Naruto had almost broken his neck trying to get ready, and was unnerved that a very pleasant night of sleep had given way to that kind of chaos.

Kakashi looked over to Sai. "I was wondering the same thing," he drawled, not looking up from his book.

Naruto's eyes widened. "You don't know what this is about?"

"I called you here," Sai said, sitting at the table and taking out two scrolls.

"You did?" Naruto gaped at him. "What the hell, Sai? And why isn't Sasuke here? Isn't this a Team Seven thing?"

"It is," he said calmly, "but there is a very good reason he isn't here. I want to go over my research from yesterday with you both."

"What research?" Naruto stared at him.

"This scroll is the mission file Kakashi gave me yesterday before instructing me to consult with you and Sasuke about Dr. Haruno. And these," he gestured to a second scroll with a series of drawings scattered oddly about the page, "are my notes from my conversation with Sasuke." He flew through the hand seals that released the ink to scramble across the page and resettle into a loose outline form of his questions and answers from yesterday. "I didn't think Sasuke would allow me to take notes," he explained to his team mates. "He seemed more comfortable if I sketched while he spoke."

"He spoke?" Naruto sputtered. "About Sakura?!"

Sai nodded. "Extensively – for him."

Naruto and Kakashi exchanged glances and the white haired Jōnin slowly closed his book and put it away. This was promising.

"It would be unfair to reveal the totality of our conversation," Sai said, "but I do have some questions."

"Shoot," Kakashi folded his hands on the table.

"Kakashi – you said that you knew of Dr. Haruno because she was supposed to be on Team Seven."

"No way!" Naruto blurted. "Sakura was supposed to be on our team? Man, that would've been AWESOME! I bet-"

"Focus, Naruto," Kakashi narrowed his visible eye at the suddenly wide-awake man.

"Y-yeah. Sorry, Sai."

"Her father was transferred to the Suna branch of the ASF before she could join your team, though, so you didn't have any contact with her, really. Are you acquainted at all?"

Kakashi rubbed his chin. "I accompanied the previous Hokage to Suna several times, but I did not directly interact with Sakura. I had no direct personal contact with her before she joined the hospital staff. I had to go to the hospital once or twice for treatment, or to deliver things to Tsunade, but we are acquaintances at best."

"And you, Naruto," Sai continued. "I understand you were classmates and had cursory contact while she was in Suna, mostly through friends. It wasn't until she returned to Konoha to study at the university that you became better friends."

Naruto shrugged. "That's a fair statement."

"What was your relationship once you reestablished contact?"

Naruto smiled fondly. "She slipped right back into our group of friends like she had never left. We were all glad to see her back, and she was over the whole Sasuke 'Fan girl' thing." Naruto put his hands behind his head smugly. "I knew that they'd have a relationship from day one," he winked. "It took them a while, but they got there in the end."

Sai looked confused. "Did she learn Temari's technique while in Suna? And should I be numbering the days from her arrival sequentially to better follow the progress of this discussion?"

Naruto stared at Sai blankly while Kakashi sighed.

"Sakura and most of the girls in her class were kind of obsessed with Sasuke when they were kids; it doesn't have anything to do with her choice of weaponry." At Sai's blank stare, Kakashi waved his hand. "I'll explain later. No need to number the days. What did Sasuke say when you asked him this question?"

Sai looked at his notes. "'Friends first; more later.'" He stated. "I asked him what 'more,' meant," he continued, "but-,"

"Let me guess," Naruto rolled his eyes. "He said they were 'close.'" Naruto punctuated 'close' with exaggerated air quotations. Sai's eyes widened, and he gave a soft bark of laughter. "Teme never changes." He cracked open a bottle of water and took a hearty gulp. "Like you said, Sakura came to KU from Suna. Sasuke was used to avoiding her from her 'fan girl' days, but those were long behind her by the time she met up with us. It's not really my story to tell, but the short version is that they slowly became friends, and eventually started dating."

Sai had sat up straighter at this. "Dating. I have read about dating. That is where individuals spend time together building and testing the viability of a relationship. I understand that it is characterized by planned activities, fights, making up from fights, and engaging in various and escalating levels of physical contact, up to and including physical union of male and female genitalia accompanied by rhythmic movements."

Naruto stared at him, open mouthed, while Kakashi smothered a giggle.

"Coitus," Sai clarified.

"…?!"

"Intercour-

"I know what it is, Sai," Naruto blushed fiercely. "I'm just not sure I've ever heard it put… quite that way. And before you ask me," he held up a hand, "I will not discuss Sasuke or Sakura and sex. Ever. That goes way past anything I want to think about, and I sure as hell don't want to be thinking about it with you. That topic is off limits." Naruto shuddered.

Sai frowned. From what he had read, the presence or absence of sex in a relationship could be a major factor in the dynamics of said relationship. It seemed to him that if there was intelligence regarding that factor, it would be of mutual benefit to the team to know about it.

Naruto shook his head and seemed to guess his train of thought. "Trust me, man," he said, punctuating each word with an index finger jab on the table. "Not. Our. Business."

Sai shifted uncomfortably. "So they were dating. Without inquiring as to the physical implications, am I to assume that their relationship was rather involved?"

Naruto blew out a sigh. "He loved her, Sai," he said, looking up at the ceiling. "And she loved him. It was the most normal I saw him act since, well, ever. Growing up, he was a pretty big jerk – haughty, cocky, and a pain in the ass. He came from an elite family inside of an elite clan, and was younger brother to the youngest person to make Jōnin since a clan prodigy in the Third Hokage's time. When we were about eight years old, a bunch of people got sick in Konoha, and all of his family died except for his parents and brother. We were recruited to ANBU really early and were full Jōnin before we turned 15. We were comrades and friends. The year we turned 16, his parents were killed, and his brother was blamed. He lost everyone he cared about, then."

Naruto pinned Sai with a look. "You were in ROOT. How much do you know?"

Sai folded his hands and met Naruto's eyes evenly. "Sasuke swore revenge on his brother. He was persuaded to defect from Konoha and the ASF and join Orochimaru and the Sound. The cover story was that he had gone elsewhere to finish his education. Since the public did not know that he was ANBU, there weren't suspicions on that front, but the event was big news in Konoha. The last of the Uchiha were gone, Sasuke left town, and Itachi became a rogue-nin and known criminal. Internal to ANBU, though, it was a massive deal; ROOT was aware of the situation."

"I'll bet," Naruto snorted. Sai kept his face impassive; he understood the frustration. "Orochimaru was directly threatening Konoha and the Allied Shinobi Nations. He became the top target for all ANBU, and as it was assumed he would be using Sasuke against us, he was right up there in the bingo book."

Sai nodded. He knew Sasuke had been in the bingo book better than anybody.

"It took us almost two years to get him back, and there were still more questions than answers. He was not an easy person to know. Sakura, though…" He trailed off with a fond smile. "She got under his skin. She was the only person smart and strong enough and kind enough to keep up with him on all the levels he needed."

"She was his girlfriend." Sai stated.

Naruto winced. "She never liked that word," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I think it reminded her too much of her fan girl days. She said that 'boyfriend and girlfriend' sounded too soporific."

Sai blinked twice. "Probably sophomoric," Kakashi interjected, knowing that Naruto would never use either 'soporific' or 'sophomoric' unless he had overheard it somewhere.

"Nah, we were freshmen."

Sai looked to Kakashi blankly, who just shook his head. "Let it go," he muttered.

"But yeah," Naruto continued, oblivious to the side discussion, "she was his girlfriend. I think if all of that stuff hadn't gone down during our third year, he never would have left. They'd probably be married by now."

Sai's expression was genuinely surprised.

"You think Sasuke would have married Dr. Haruno?"

Naruto shot a look at Kakashi before looking back at the table. "Yeah. Yeah I do," he said quietly.

"So," Sai looked to him openly, "What happened?"

Naruto looked over to Kakashi, who nodded and took up the narrative. "Sasuke got word that there was information about his parent's killer."

"Actually, he got a warning that he was still being targeted, and that the killer was dangerous." Naruto jumped back in. "He didn't tell anyone that part." He mumbled.

"Who gave him this warning?" Sai asked.

Naruto shook his head and Kakashi continued, "He never said. If had to guess, it was Itachi."

"His brother?" Sai furrowed his brow. "I thought he didn't trust-"

"Another story," Kakashi waved a hand impatiently. "Anyway, I don't know for sure, but whatever information he got, it riled Sasuke up pretty badly. He made plans to leave pretty much immediately. We only found out after the fact."

"And Dr. Haruno tried to stop him," Sai stated. "Explain this to me," he handed a small portion of the translated scroll to Naruto.

Naruto saw the date and grimaced.

"Haruno, Sakura admitted under the care of Lady Tsunade. Was found on the bench of the road leading out of the village at approximately 4:00 AM by Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo. When questioned, she gave the following account:

'I was supposed to meet Sasuke, but couldn't find him. It was late. I was worried, and went searching for him. I stumbled upon him on the road out of town. He told me he had sudden news about his family's murder, and he was going after the people responsible. Nothing would dissuade him. I tried to stop him; he must have knocked me out. When I came to, it was morning and I was on the bench.'

She was found disoriented. Given the nature of the information she might have inadvertently gained, she was placed in a restorative sleep, and her memories searched by Yamanaka, Inoichi. Uchiha apparently gave no clue as to what information he had found, or his suspected perpetrator."

Naruto sighed, heavily. "Sakura told me she had been having an early lunch with Sasuke, when he got a strange text message. He had become agitated and told her he had to take care of something, and he would see her later. He kissed her goodbye, and walked out of the restaurant. She never knew what it was about. Several people saw them there, though, and said he looked agitated. Inoichi even tried to see if she remembered any details subconsciously, but there was nothing helpful. She went back to her apartment but didn't get worried until later. She said she had a strange feeling and went looking for him. She made it to the outskirts of the village where she saw him on his way out of town. How she stumbled upon him, I'll never know. He must have been too preoccupied to notice she was there. She saw him leaving town, they had words, he thanked her, knocked her out cold, and left her on the bench before getting the heck out of dodge."

Sai put on his best fake smile and raised an index finger. "I don't know what dodge is or why he had to get out of it, but I believe this is where Kiba would say 'I call bullshit,'" he said cheerfully.

"Eh?" Naruto raised his eyebrows.

Sai arched an eyebrow. "You are telling me an elite Uchiha genius ANBU member even in the middle of emotional distress couldn't have sensed a kunoichi who was making no attempt to conceal herself as she searched for him on the only main path out of town? Why would he even _take_ a footpath? You told me before he wanted revenge; you think he would have just leisurely walked out of town after getting that kind of news? His speed is incredible; if he wanted to go undetected, it would have been less than child's play for him."

Naruto continued to stare at Sai and opened his mouth to argue, but Kakashi stayed perfectly still.

"B-But Sakura was a wreck for ages after it happened," the blonde sputtered. "Kotetsu and Izumo found her on that bench at four in the morning. She was so disoriented, they even had her memory scanned to make sure she was recalling it accurately. Inoichi saw the same thing she described. Ino, too." Naruto grimaced, fairly certain his ears blistered for weeks once the Yamanaka woman had told him everything, including some words he had never heard so creatively combined before. "It might not make sense, but that is what happened."

Sai couldn't believe his luck. This was it. He had waited for months to copy the following move, and was never so certain that he was about to nail a socially appropriate gesture in all of his life.

Deliberately, he raised a hand to his mouth and coughed "Bullshit!"

Kakashi looked between them both and smiled behind his mask.

Sai silently congratulated himself with another of Kiba's trade phrases. "Nailed it."

"And now you know why I gave Sai that scroll," Kakashi said lazily as he leaned forward on the table. "He's right. It makes no sense. The only plausible explanation is that someone has altered Sakura's memories. She is highly resistant to genjutsu, and it would have taken someone with incredible skill to rewrite her memory so completely that neither Yamanaka could detect it. We need to find out what _really_ happened five years ago, and why someone would go to all of this trouble."

Naruto stared at Kakashi "I know why I want to find out," he said bluntly. "Sakura is my friend, and so is Sasuke. But why is this only coming up now? And why aren't we asking Sasuke about this?"

"Sakura is formally a member of ANBU now," Kakashi said, "or at least she will be by the end of today. I said I didn't have personal contact with her before she started working at the hospital, and that is true. What I didn't tell you is that I was assigned by the previous Hokage to keep tabs on her."

"Why," Naruto questioned, frowning. "Why would Master Sarutobi concern himself with Sakura?"

"Her father's transfer to Suna," Sai finally said, his dark eyes serious.

Naruto looked between Sai and Kakashi, exasperated. "What the hell does her dad have to do with anything?"

"I read his civilian file just in case. His work record was solid, but not exceptional. When the request for transfers came from the Suna branch, he was one of the members that accepted a position. Both he and his wife were competent enough to be of help in Suna, but not integral enough in Konoha to be irreplaceable." Sai looked to Kakashi, who nodded. "So… He wasn't sent to Suna for the ASF."

Kakashi gave Sai an appreciative look before nodding. "Kizashi is a good man, but unexceptional. The kind of employee that might be briefly missed, but easily replaced. There is only one reason he was sent to Suna."

Naruto finally caught on. "To get Sakura out of Konoha," he breathed. "But, why?"

"Master Sarutobi suspected Danzo was building up ROOT to threaten the ASF. A spy in the organization indicated he was tracking several of your class, and Sakura was one of them."

Sai frowned. "But there is nothing in her file that indicates why he would have wanted her then. There is no way she would be at the level she is now if she hadn't studied with Chiyo and Tsunade, and that training would not have been at his disposal." Sai knew the kind of potential that would have attracted Danzo – he knew better than anyone.

"Exactly," Kakashi sighed. "Of all of the people that gained his interest, she made the least sense. For that reason, she would be the hardest to protect. Master Sarutobi arranged for her to transfer and work with Chiyo where she would be safe. His intuition was found to be correct. Extensive files were found on her when we searched Danzo's base. They had been tampered with, however. Someone erased themselves from that file after Danzo's death."

"Don't tell me-," Naruto stared.

I told you that Sakura is highly resistant to genjutsu. There are only a few people that could have rewritten her memories of that night so completely, and before you ask," he looked to them both, "That does not include Sasuke. Of the agents we rounded up, none of them would have had that ability. Someone did not want to be found out. Chances are, they are still out there."

"A spy?" Naruto gasped. "Are you serious? What did the files say?"

"They tracked her progress from the time she was 10 years old until the day we took down Danzo. You understand, don't you?" Kakashi asked seriously. "There was information about her time with Chiyo, her ties in Suna, her relationship and friends at Konoha University. There is only one way someone could have gotten that information."

"They were on the inside," Sai narrowed his eyes. "You had a spy in ANBU."

Kakashi's jawline tightened. "HAVE a spy in ANBU," he corrected. "The spy was never caught. It is unlikely that he or she ever left. Now that Sakura is back,-"

"She could be in more danger than ever," Naruto finished grimly. "And if she is in danger,"

"Then Danzo's work might not be done yet," Sai concluded. "Which is why we can't tell Sasuke."

Kakashi nodded to his team. "As of today, you have both been assigned to a classified team to investigate these matters regarding the possible resurgence of ROOT. You will work with me."

"With you?" Naruto raised his eyebrows. "Then who is captain?"

"Well at least you can ask _some_ of the right questions," a voice drawled from the corner. The two younger men turned in surprise to see a white haired man stand to his full height with a lazy stretch. "Guess I didn't waste too much time teaching this knucklehead," he rubbed his fist into the top of Naruto's head.

"Jiraya," Kakashi nodded his head as Naruto rubbed his gingerly. "We have about 15 minutes before the field tests start."

"Don't I know it," Jiraya smiled lasciviously. "I'm looking forward to seeing how the two kunoichi have … improved." He laughed a bit too loudly and Naruto shook his head.

"Same old pervy sage," he muttered.

* * *

"What are you doing here, chibi-dobe," Sasuke asked Konohamaru as he came into the room.

"Same thing you are," he snorted. "Waiting for the show to start."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Since when were meetings for field agents shows? Was this kid that green? Sasuke looked him up and down. What could you expect from someone who trained under Naruto, after all?

"Uchiha," a commanding voice sounded behind him. He turned to find Tsunade standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "With me," she motioned before striding down the hall.

"Sucks to be you," Konohamaru snickered, blithely ignoring the death glare that Sasuke sent him in return.

"I don't like to be kept waiting," Tsunade's voice rang with irritation from down the hall.

Sasuke promptly followed after her. "In here," she directed. He entered the room, taking in his surroundings. "One-way observation area of the training and testing arena," she said with no preamble. "I expect a full report on the new recruits. Put those famous eyes of yours to good use," she pinned him with a stare. "I don't want you to miss a second." Sasuke maintained eye contact ignoring the niggling suspicion forming at the back of his mind. "Your team will be in here shortly," she said turning to leave. "You will not leave this room until you are released. This is an official mission, understand Uchiha?"

"Ha," he nodded. She smirked. It wasn't a full 'hai,' but it was a half-step up from his normally grunted 'hn.'

"Enjoy the show," she grinned wickedly, and he knew in an instant what that gleam in her eyes meant. "Every. Damned. Second." The soft click of the door behind her sounded like a gunshot in the silence of the room. He took a deep breath and turned to face the one-way glass behind him. The speakers in the room began to buzz quietly, and the room was soon filled with the white noise from the area below him.

"Report to the holding area for the Training Arena, Huyga Hinata and Haruno Sakura."

Sasuke's world spun and collided in a burst of light before his eyes as the glaring arena lighting flared to life. A series of monitors flicked on in the room, casting an eerie glow on the dark walls. His eyes darted to the screens; there were close-ups of several of the areas below. He snorted. With his eyes he didn't need the monitors. He might need something to punch, but he didn't need the monitors.

A familiar hand was firm on his shoulder. He didn't bother to turn around, and was glad the idiot had been smart enough to allow himself to be sensed before he did something as potentially lethal as touching him. He flicked a menacing stare to Naruto, but the serious look in his blue eyes placated his building rage. Sasuke had been ready for the jibes and the jokes. He had not been ready for the fierce determination and loyalty that met his piercing stare. A second of innate understanding passed between the long-time friends and rivals, and Sasuke gave a sharp nod.

He wasn't in this alone.

* * *

Hinata stepped into the training arena and blinked at the bright lights, willing her heartbeat to regulate.

Lady Tsunade had finished the chakra evaluation and general assessment. There had also been a basic field medic-nin test that she finished with no difficulty. "I'm not surprised," she had crossed her arms over her legendary chest. "There is a reason I chose you to be on my apprentice's team. Normally when assessing a Hyūga member, we arrange an ANBU member to spar and report on your abilities. Because of your current clan position, we are going to forego that formality. We've decided to compromise and add a component to your field test that will accommodate for this."

Hinata glanced around the expansive set up before focusing on the dirt floor meditatively. She soon found a large, furry nose pushing her hand up to rest on his head. She smiled at Akamaru and tightened her fingers in his fur. "Th-Thanks, Akamaru," she whispered to him, taking comfort in the feel of his fur between her fingers. She looked around. Where was the rest of her team?

Something in the air seemed to buzz and she instinctively activated her Byuakugan. Out of nowhere, trees shot up from the ground, the training posts disappeared, and the entire terrain of the area morphed into something out of the forests of Konoha. A man with dark, widely spaced eyes appeared before her.

"Yamato-sensei," she nodded, "Forgive me for not greeting you properly," she kept her eyes on him. Although she recognized the man as one who had collaborated with her team on several occasions, she knew better than to bow to someone that might, for today's purposes, be an enemy.

"Hai," he bowed to her with an approving smile. "You have two team mates to find, and another team to beat," he informed her. "Several ANBU members will be evaluating your performance. At this level, there will be no intervention unless an agent is near death. Do you understand?"

"H-Hai," she nodded again, and his smile widened.

"Good luck, Hinata." He disappeared just in time to for her to artfully dodge several kunai that buried themselves in a tree behind her. Hinata felt her heartbeat level out as she focused on her goal. "Let's go, Akamaru," she said firmly. He barked sharply, twice and she bounded into the wooded area.

"Shino first," she said, her eyes scanning the area. Akamaru could always find Kiba; she needed to be sure that she secured the ally that would be harder to find on her own. She saw his familiar chakra pattern ahead and to her left, and wasted no time getting to where he waited, leaning against a tree.

With less than a thought, she leapt at him rather than next to him, effectively knocking them both away from a rain of senbon that embedded in the tree. She saw the grouping and looked up to Shino. "Tenten?" she asked.

"It would appear so," he nodded. Hinata set her jaw more firmly. Without a word, they both made their way to Kiba who waved cheerily at them.

"Good job!" he gave her a thumbs up. "Now let's go-" POOF!

He disappeared as her kunai sailed straight through him.

"Good eyes," Shino complimented her as she retrieved her weapon from the ground. It was only a moment later that they found the real Kiba, grinning wolfishly from where he leaned up against a rock formation.

"Nice," he complimented her before the three of them took off to where three other chakra signatures were gathering.

Kiba sniffed the air and looked sidelong at Hinata.

"I know," she said, pounding her foot off of the tree branch to leap forward.

The team had worked together long enough to communicate with few words, and at a fast pace. A smoke bomb sailed over their heads to smash into a tree just in front of Kiba. Shino jumped back to cover as Hinata charged ahead, ripping a piece of fabric out of her pocket and breaking a vial of liquid she had stashed inside of it. She had expected someone to go after Kiba's nose; she usually travelled with this on her person for missions. He tripped on the next tree branch, and she dove to break his fall before covering his mouth and nose with the fabric. His eyes were at half mast, but she could tell from the way they crinkled at the corner, he was trying to smile at her. She gave him a small smile in return, but felt his body tense as he darted his eyes to the side. She ducked just in time to miss a flying kick from Lee.

"I am sorry, Hinata," he said apologetically. "I have to fight with the full power of youth against you."

Hinata saw Shino drop in front of her. "He knows how to counteract Neji," he warned her. Get Kiba up and running and then go find Tenten."

Kiba stood on his own. "I'm good," he said, retying the mask around his face. "Shino, you go after Neji." The two shinobi flickered out of sight.

"I'd much rather spar with you, Kiba," Lee smiled brightly. "I don't feel nearly as guilty unleashing the Blue Beast of Konoha on a fellow male!"

Kiba grinned. "Just try it."

Tenten was in the trees setting a trap when she felt something flick across her face. She swiped at it impatiently. She had heard Shino; she had to finish this and get to Neji before Hinata got over to her. "They are headed your way," she said into her earpiece. She heard an explosion to her left. Excellent – that was one of her traps. "Got one!" she cried in excitement. Something crackled noisily in her ear, and she yanked the microphone out.

"Damn it," she rubbed her ear with her finger. "What gives?"

She inspected the communicator and almost scrambled halfway up the tree when she saw several bugs crawling out of it.

"Son of a-"

"Apologies, Tenten," the deep voice came behind her before everything went dark. Shino gently placed her at the base of the tree while Hinata put a hand to her head. Using a basic medical ninjitsu, she pulsed a slight rush of chakra against her head and managed to put the girl in a suspended sleep to eliminate her from the round. She took a moment to heal what would have been a bruise at the back of her neck; no point in damaging a comrade.

Akamaru and Kiba sailed overhead, with Lee in close pursuit. "You cannot evade my YOUTH!" he cried out.

"I'm sure as hell gonna try," Kiba called back over his shoulder, leading Lee away from them. Hinata and Shino said nothing as they moved on to find Neji. They were not generally long range fighters. Once they realized that they were fighting Gai's team they knew that Tenten had to be taken out of the equation. Lee and Neji depended largely on close range for their attacks, and would leverage her skills against them to either force them into or away from an opponent.

Hinata kept a sharp look out for traps; Tenten might be knocked out, but that didn't take her fully out of the game. She remembered her as being cunning and lighting fast at setting traps. As if to verify her train of thought, a web of tripwires appeared ahead of them.

"S-Shino!" she called out to him. "Trip wires ahead." They veered to a different path but an explosion took out that direction.

"She is pushing us to that clearing," Shino nodded to the area ahead. "Why you ask? Because my insects have verified that there are traps surrounding this area. That means that the objective is to force us into combat with-"

"B-Behind you," she called out to Shino who had barely enough time to evade the kunai/explosive tag combination hurled toward him.

Separated, Hinata was forced into the clearing while Shino was forced back into the trees. Shino went to aid his teammate, but grimaced as he realized he was mired in some sticky substance that slowed his insects and prevented him from moving. He tapped his ear, "Trapped," he said in a clipped tone. "It will take me some time, Hinata."

"H-Hai," she nodded, her heart speeding up when Neji appeared before her, charging.

Hinata faced her cousin, chakra pooling around her hands as they began to battle. He had told her he may have to fight her, and he would not be able to hold back. She understood that. This was different from when they were children and he had hated her and the head family. She knew he was the better fighter; she just had to keep up for a little longer. She heard Kiba returning with Lee close on his heels. Neji was stronger and faster, that was certain, but she was quick and more flexible. She leaned back to a ridiculous angle to allow his attack to sail over her.

She saw him adopt a familiar stance, and backed up, flinging several kunai in his direction as Shino did the same from his perch in the tree. Neji knocked the first few away with his own kunai before beginning his Eight Trigrams Palm Rotating Heaven technique. Hinata and Shino kept the barrage going as Kiba exploded onto the scene, jumping toward Neji with Lee right behind him. At the last second, Akamaru jumped and knocked Lee into Neji's ultimate defense before carrying Kiba to safety. Lee was sent flying back into a tree and knocked out, leaving Neji to find two of the three members of Team Eight with kunai pointing to his throat, the third had deployed a swarm of insects to hover nearby. He slowly raised his hands and smiled proudly at his cousin.

"The exercise is over. Team Eight Wins. Clear the arena." Tsunade's voice came over the speaker.

Kiba lowered his weapon and nuged Neji. "Too bad that worked," he said with a grin. "Next up was dynamic marking!

Neji's face registered a look of absolute horror that made his shy cousin giggle quietly. "I've never been so happy to lose a match in my life," he said stoically. He flicked his eyes up to where he knew their friends were watching. "Let's get going."

"I'll get Tenten," Kiba and Akamaru darted off. "Check on Lee, Hinata" he called over his shoulder.

Lee hadn't taken long to recover; they had managed to knock him out just long enough to be disqualified. He was already standing when Hinata crossed the short distance to him. "Ah, Hinata!" Lee grabbed her shoulders enthusiastically. "Well done! I am not surprised that Neji's beautiful cousin was so youthful in her performance!"

Hinata's eyes were wide and she started to flush. What did one say to that? "A-Arigatou," she stammered.

"Lee," Neji said in a warning tone.

"Right!" he snapped to with a salute. "See you in the observation area!" he gave his signature 'Nice Guy' pose before disappearing from the arena.

Shino dropped down from the tree as Akamaru bounded over carrying Kiba who was holding Tenten. Hinata released the sleep with a press of a hand to her forehead and the weapons mistress woke up with a slow smile up at Kiba. "Well hello, handsome."

"Hello, yourself," he smirked, helping her stand up. Shino coughed discretely, while Neji narrowed his eyes. "You got me good," she grinned at Hinata. "Both of you," she looked at Shino.

"Clear the area," Tsunade's voice boomed over the speaker again. "Haruno Sakura, report to the arena."

"Guess that's our cue," Kiba smirked, and they all headed for the exit.

"Not us," Tenten shook her head. "Neji and I have to stay here. Next time."

Kiba shrugged. "Stay out of trouble," he winked at Tenten before following his team from the arena.

Neji scowled at his back. Tenten looked Neji over. "He didn't get you with dynamic marking, did he?" she sniffed delicately. The murderous glare he gave her had no effect.

Tenten fished a new earpiece out of her pocket. "Stupid bugs," she shuddered. "I'm going to go set up the artillery. You get Haruno in place," she nodded to the pink-haired kunoichi that was approaching them before she flicked out of sight.

Neji nodded as he met her part way. "You ready?" he asked.

"Absolutely," she smiled as she cracked her knuckles. He had to smile at her enthusiasm and put an encouraging hand on her shoulder.

"Show them what you've got," he said quietly. "Basic skills first," his tone turned professional.

She nodded and took a deep breath, turning toward the target area. Neji looked to her before looking to where he knew a certain observation box would be. He gave a knowing smirk while she pulled on her gloves. "Let's get started."

* * *

"Aw, man, did you see that?" Naruto slapped his palms on his thighs. "Man, I was worried about Team Eight going up against those guys, but that was great!"

Sasuke distracted himself by watching the skirmish below. He begrudgingly admitted that Team Eight had acted quickly, efficiently, and had fared far better than he thought. He had watched the pale, raven haired Hyūga enter the arena with a mask of indifference. Inwardly, though, he was turning that recently unearthed memory over and over again in his mind. Where had that recollection come from? He narrowed his eyes at the girl as if demanding she answer for her sudden appearance in his memory. While she clearly was no longer the same child from the Academy, there was a gentleness in her face that seemed to have remained the same. "She looks like her mother," he found himself thinking. Naruto had some strange faith in the woman; perhaps it was worth keeping an open mind. Of course, Naruto had faith in everyone, so that might not be the glowing testament it appeared to be.

"I am surprised that Neji and Hinata did not spar more," Sai frowned. "I had been looking forward to a duel between gentle fist users."

Kakashi shook his head. "Neji is one of the best agents we have, and a genius in his own right, surpassing even Hiashi. By all accounts, Hinata is excellent with their clan technique, but she was smart enough not to have the exercise devolve into a one-on-one with her cousin. She is supposed to be quite clever." He added.

Naruto grinned at that, and congratulated himself on finding someone so reliable to help him with Sasuke and Sakura. Of course, he didn't remember that he had told Sasuke that he had enlisted her aid, so he missed the Uchiha's wary expression as he gloated.

Sasuke turned back to face the arena, and found his breath was tight in his chest. He would know that walk anywhere, pink hair or no pink hair. Without thinking, he activated his Sharingan, occasionally flicking his gaze to the monitors in the room. Her hair was longer than it used to be, and was pulled into a ponytail. He focused on the lavender diamond on her forehead. So. Tsunade's disciple had completed her training. He memorized every detail, his face completely impassive. That was, until Neji spoke with her. Until she smiled at Neji. Until Neji touched her. Until Neji looked to where he must have known they were standing. Sasuke worked a muscle in his jaw and willed himself to stay calm. Five years had been a very long time.

"Haruno, Sakura." Tsunade's voice boomed over the speaker. "As you are officially registered as a Suna shinobi, there will be a quick battery of tests to assess basic skills. Hyūga Neji will proctor."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and read their lips.

"Let's get started." The Hyuga's voice echoed in the room. Sasuke narrowed his eyes further, and felt the color rise to his cheeks. Neji knew they were watching. Sasuke saw him mouth the words "Watch closely, Uchiha." He clenched his fists to his side, and darted a look at Kakashi.

"It's not fair," Naruto complained. "You can both use Sharingan to get a better view." Kakashi, though gave Sasuke a significant look. Sasuke knew that look. That was the "Calm the #$%^ down, Uchiha" look.

Sakura went through a fast battery of throwing kunais and shurikens, evading a barrage of weapons undoubtedly fired from Tenten, running across water and up trees, and executing basic jutsus.

"C'mon, get to the good stuff," Naruto whined.

"Strength testing," Neji called out.

Sakura looked around as if waiting for permission. Neji put a hand to his ear before stepping back. "Go ahead," he sighed. He signaled and soon Tenten was by his side, and they flicked out of sight.

"What is she up to?" Naruto went up to the window and practically pressed his nose against the glass.

Sakura's hand began to glow brightly as she walked confidently to the middle of an open area.

"I-Is the ground breaking under her feet?" Naruto asked incredulously.

Sakura pulled a fist back and slammed it into the ground with a triumphant "SHANNARO!" There was a deafening and resounding blast as the earth crumbled and buckled under the force of her blow, the shock emanating out from her fist to rumble through the training ground, uprooting trees, throwing dirt and debris into the air, and disrupting the sound feed to the observation rooms. A tree slammed into the window, and Naruto fell on his backside, trying to dodge, much to Sai's amusement.

When the dirt and air cleared, the entire training ground was destroyed. Trees were uprooted, debris was everywhere, and Sakura stood triumphantly at the midpoint of the blast radius. Neji and Tenten flickered back in behind her; apparently they had known what to expect and gotten the hell out of the way.

"Strength testing complete," Neji said dryly.

"What the hell was THAT?" Naruto asked, standing up shakily.

"That," Kakashi pulled his forehead protector back over his eye, "was what happens when you let Tsunade's apprentice loose. You should see what her teacher can do."

"O-obaachan can do that?" Naruto stuttered.

"Not exactly," Kakashi shrugged.

Naruto began to sigh in relief, "Oh, thank-,"

"She's worse." Kakashi finished.

A collective shudder passed through them all.

Sasuke said nothing, but a single bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He fought to control his racing pulse and to reign in a heady mix of surprise, dread, fear, and quite possibly excitement. He frowned, displeased with his own reaction. He needed to get a hold of himself. The biggest surprise was probably over. She would complete the training exercise with one of the ANBU teams, and it would be over. He could get home, and clear the day from his mind. It would all be over soon.

"Yamato. Report and reset the Training Arena," Tsunade's voice rang proudly over the loudspeaker. "Proctors, take Haruno Sakura back to the holding area."

Sasuke grimaced as Neji touched Sakura's arm to lead her to the exit with Tenten right behind them. It might all be over soon, but couldn't be over soon enough.

* * *

Sakura, Neji, and Tenten did as asked, running into a sighing Yamato on his way to reset the arena.

"Sorry!" Sakura called after him.

"Don't lie, Haruno," Tenten snorted. "You loved every second of that."

"Yeah," she smiled. "I kinda did."

"Very impressive," Neji smiled smoothly down at her.

"Thanks, boss," she nudged his arm, her smile brilliant.

"Man, and you get mad about me bringing weapons into the hospital," Tenten eyed them both. "How are you classified; as a tank?"

Sakura laughed as Tenten opened the door to the holding/observation area.

"Sakura!" Kiba jumped up. "That was amazing!"

"W-Well done," Hinata beamed.

"You, too," Sakura hugged her friend. "I knew you'd be great."

Hinata flushed at the compliment and toyed with her fingers. "Th-thanks," she said shyly.

"That's our team mate," Kiba gloated. He nudged Tenten. "How's the head?"

"Fine, thanks to your teammate," she looked to Hinata. "Or no thanks to your teammate," she shot Shino a look.

"Yeah," Kiba looped an arm over her shoulder. "You have to watch Shino – he gets wild when he's in the field."

"That is an incredibly stupid and untrue remark," Shino muttered. "That is because-,"

"Neji," a voice came over the loudspeaker in just their room. It was Shizune. "Please escort Sakura to the arena when she is called before returning to the holding area. Tenten, please remain with Team Eight for the remainder of the exercises."

With an "Understood," from Neji and a "Got it" from Tenten, the speaker went silent.

"Hanging out with the cool kids?" Kiba looked down at Tenten, his arm still draped easily over her shoulder.

"Looks like it," she grinned back. "We going to take bets on the next match?"

"You know it," Kiba looked at Sakura. "Got any tips, Doctor? I'm guessing you'll end the match in under five minutes."

Sakura laughed. "We'll see." She held up her hands. "Ne, Neji," she looked over to her friend. "Are you alright? Your color is a little off."

Neji snapped his attention back to Sakura with a curt nod. "Sorry. My mind was… somewhere else."

Tenten snorted and headed over to the small fridge in the corner of the room grabbing out bottles of water and tossing them to her friends. "He's just getting old and out of shape, Sakura," she chucked a bottle of water at him that he caught easily. "Can't keep up with the young kids."

"Says the team mate that was unconscious the longest," he drawled.

"Not my fault that they were smart enough to go after the biggest threat first. At least I didn't have to hear anything about 'youth' for a while. I needed a break."

Sakura laughed at the banter between the two before running a green palm across Neji's forehead quickly. "You seem fine," she smiled. She turned to take the water bottle Tenten handed her. "You ok?"

"Hinata took care of me," Tenten waved her away. "I'm fine. Alright!" She whipped out a pad and a pen from one of her flack vest pockets. "Let's figure out what we're betting on for this fight. And don't think you are getting out of this, Hyūga," she said to Neji. "You still owe me from the last time we bet on a match. I'm counting on a hell of a fight," she grinned at Sakura. "At least five minutes and one second's worth."

"Hey!" Kiba called out. "No fair!"

Sakura pulled her gloves more firmly onto her hands. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

"Did you SEE that?!" Konohamaru whipped around, pointing out the window for possibly the tenth time

"I think we caught it," Shikamaru sighed.

"I knew she could do it," Ino crowed. "That's our girl!" She folded her arms and grinned smugly. She knew perfectly well that all of the people who needed to see that display had seen that display. Tsunade had absolutely jumped at her idea that Sasuke needed to see Sakura in action, and to have Kakashi call a "meeting" so he would be in attendance. Better he know what the hell he was up against before he tried to do anything stupid. Ino was sure he would think twice before upsetting her best friend now!

Shikamaru glanced over to Temari who had watched everything in silence. He had been expecting more proprietary remarks about Sakura being a Sand Shinobi, or not needing to prove anything to the Leaf, but she had remained mute. Mute but with the same glint in her eye from this morning, and he started to get a bad feeling. A very bad feeling.

"She's sure come a long way," Chōji said, drumming his fingers on his leg. "When are Kiba and the others coming up?" he asked. Konohamaru's head snapped up. Hinata didn't know he was ANBU; she thought he was an intern. That could seriously make an already complicated situation with Hanabi even more complicated.

"They won't bring Hinata up here until Tsunade gives the final word," Asuma said, flicking a glance at his nephew, who visibly relaxed. "She isn't fully ANBU until this exercise is over."

The door flew open and Guy and Lee came running in. "DID YOU SEE THAT FANTASTIC DISPLAY OF YOUTH?!" Guy asked, his eyes wide, his volume set to eleven.

Shikamaru sighed. Temari flicked a gaze down to the arena and then over to Ino. "Little Kunoichi's room?" she asked.

"Down the hall, to the left," Ino jerked her head. "You want me to show you?"

"Nah – I just get turned around in this part of the base. See you in a bit." She headed out of the door, and Shikamaru felt a very specific pain in the side of his head. She was up to something – of that he was certain. She wasn't going to lead an assault on Konoha or anything like that, but he knew without a doubt that that woman had a plan, and he wasn't going to like it. He smothered a sigh, and watched Yamato reconstruct the training ground as his mind began similarly constructing and discarding a myriad of potential scenarios from the data she had given him so far.

"Proctor Hyūga, please escort Haruno Sakura to the training area," Tsunade's voice rang in the room, and they all eagerly took their seats.

"How are they going to do the next test?" Chōji asked. "I thought Sakura's team wasn't even made up of ASF members; will they team her up with one of our teams?"

Ino looked out over the training grounds. "I heard they are going to team her up with a pick-up team against Genma's team plus Shizune."

Chōji seemed to think about that. "Makes sense; Shizune is probably the only medic-nin that can accurately counteract Sakura. Although, it might be a disadvantage to have a whole new team that doesn't know each other."

Asuma turned to him. "The medic-nin is often assigned to a team at random, and has to learn that team quickly. By having a pick-up team, she can't just rely on the team dynamics to tell her what to expect. Tsunade is meticulous in teaching her students this. Shizune is excellent at unifying a new team; I expect Sakura will be the same."

"Hm," Guy rubbed his chin. "I heard something about a request for clearance from the barrier corps to allow a team to transport in if need be. Of course," he folded his arms, "I was on my 300th lap around the base on my hands at the time. I might have heard incorrectly."

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open wide, and the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place.

"Shimatta," he jumped up – surprising everyone in the room – and darted to look over the training area. He saw Neji standing next to Sakura with his hand on his earpiece. He turned to relay a message to her.

"Haruno Sakura. As your team was unable to attend this exercise, a team will be assigned to you for-"

Suddenly, there were four people on the training ground. "Who said her team couldn't attend?" A familiar voice asked challengingly. With a groan, he saw that both Neji and Sakura were staring in surprise at Temari and Kankurō.

"You shouldn't be up," they could hear Sakura admonish the puppet master, who folded his arms with an inelegant snort.

"You think I'd miss this?" he asked, ruffling her hair.

Konohamaru frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Aren't they the Kazegage's body guards? Why would they be filling in for Sakura's team?"

Temari took out a sealed scroll and in one swift motion broke the seal. There was a burst of light and wind that sent the dust in the arena flying.

Shikamaru stared down at the arena, gradually able to make out the people standing next to an unusually perplexed Hyūga Neji.

Sakura, apprentice to Chiyo and Tsunade.

Kankurō; The Sand and ANBU's most accomplished puppet master.

Temari; one of the most fearsome kunoichi's in ANBU.

Gaara: Jinchuriki, Kazekaze, and one of the top rated and deadliest members of ANBU.

"Because," Shikamaru grimaced as he took in the pale man with the red hair, the eerily blue eyes, and the giant gourd of sand on his back. "They ARE her team."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for your patience! There was too much to get through on this one. At least I have a head start on the next chapter, though.**

**As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.**

***Absolutely a nod to HRH Queen of Hearts "Queen of Fist" Story. Check it out. You will be hooked.**

**Edited 05/25/14 to make up for mistakes missed at 4am editing session. **


	7. Chapter 7: Alcatraz

**_A/N: Naruto: Not mine. Plot: Mine._**

* * *

**You Must Believe in Spring**

**Chapter Seven: Alcatraz**

The towering cylindrical vats of bubbling liquid glowed an eerie green in the dark room. On paper in some official file in Konoha, this facility had been destroyed by fire, gutted, and abandoned ages ago. That was the beautiful thing about paper – it didn't know whether or not it told a lie, and neither did the reader. Deep in the underground lair, though, the hum of machinery was low and constant. Each cylinder held test subjects suspended in viscous liquid, their mouths and noses covered by a breathing apparatus, and bodies crisscrossed with a bazaar and sinister network of wires and patches.

The figure that walked the main aisle of the disturbing glass menagerie darted a gaze over the rows of specimens, watching his reflection bend and warp across each vessel as they passed. He paused and raised a hand to the glass, touching it ever so gingerly before breaking contact and striding to the end of the hall.

He pushed through the large double doors, allowing his eyes to adjust to the bright lights and white walls of the sterile laboratory. The specimens fared better if they were stored in dark, cool areas where their life support chambers could function in quiet and macabre efficiency. It was here, though, that he did his work. Here he devoted hours and hours to his research and obsessions. He checked the equipment for possibly the hundredth time before jotting down a few key notes in a notebook and sealing it in a scroll.

The main door to the laboratory opened, and he turned to face the newcomers. "Ah," the light glared off of his glasses as he pushed them up his nose. "Madara. Rokuro. How good of you to come." The masked man came forward, the one eye visible in his orange mask glowed red and the older, cloaked man stepped behind him.

"What do you want, Kabuto," Madara asked, his voice stern. "I told you I was not to be disturbed."

"I understand," Kabuto said, all polite smiles, "But I think you are going to be pleased with our latest experiment." Kabuto lead them through another giant set of doors, this time taking them down a winding path. They came to an opening underground and looked up to the figure of a man encased in the wall; his torso jutting out as if he had been planted there. "It took years of searching," Kabuto said in a hushed and reverent tone, "but we finally found the right base. It coincides with the research I found; this is indeed Hashirama. His cells have been implanted here. Somehow this place escaped discovery after the fourth shinobi war; it faded into legend."

"This is not news, Kabuto," Rokuro spoke up, his voice sharp. "We validated this location over a year ago. What is your point?"

Kabuto gave a gleeful, dark chuckle. "It means that I have finally been able to culture and harvest those cells, and I made a remarkable discovery. I can recreate the experiments detailed in my research, and begin building our army."

"No reanimations," Madara said unequivocally. "The dead have earned their peace."

Kabuto's smile widened, devilishly. "This doesn't require the dead," his smile was disturbingly smug. He didn't have any qualms about using the dead, but it did make his job easier to avoid it. "But it does mean one crucial thing."

"And that would be?" Rokuro asked peevishly.

"It means that we can finally begin the last phase. It is time to infiltrate ANBU."

Madara looked back and forth between the men.

"Then let it begin," he said darkly. He turned on his heel and left them to watch his back as he made his way back through the lab and down a separate corridor.

He opened the door to the smaller, private lab and locked it firmly behind him. It was here that he removed his mask, his gloves, his cloak, and his weariness. He rubbed his hands to his eyes. He looked older than his years; one side of his face smooth and unmarred, the other scarred and wrinkled. He laughed mirthlessly to himself. It was a fitting representation of what his life had become. He was half who he had been, and half what he was forced to become. This new whole was a person no one truly knew, and he used the mask and borrowed identity to keep it that way.

But he would not hide his true self here. Not in front of her.

The soft, pale white light that danced across his skin came from the machinery housed in the laboratory. There, encased in a larger and more elaborate apparatus than the cylinders of the main lab, a woman floated peacefully. Her hair was long and brown, her eyes were closed. Where the other tenants in the lab had appeared to be vegetative, she appeared to be no more than asleep. Where their color was a sickly, pale green, hers was healthy. The purple markings on her face were vibrant, and her smile was gentle. She looked for all the world that at any moment she would wake up, stretch from a long sleep, and laugh.

He traced his hand over the glass, longingly.

But she wasn't going to wake up.

She wasn't going to wake entwined in his arms, her smooth, pale skin warm satin against his own. She wasn't going to roll over in their bed and look to him with those wide, gentle eyes before smiling a slow smile and kissing him good morning. She wasn't going to fill his days with the gentle tenderness that was so uniquely her as to still haunt him even though he had not held her to his heart in years. She wasn't going to gently tease him to be on time, or ask him about the old ladies that seemed to always need his help, or just sit with her head on his shoulder and listen to the rain. She wasn't going to lie in the moonlight, her hair spilling across the pillow, her skin glowing like some other-worldly being before enveloping him in her love and sealing her place in his soul.

That had been their life once.

It had been a quiet life.

It had been a loving life.

It had been a life that was stolen.

She had suffered a betrayal and an attack that had nearly ended her life. It was all he could do to bring her back to the man who promised to save her. In the end, all that could be done was to put her in a semi-stasis to protect her. She had been his everything once, and she would be again. Just as soon as he could make the trade.

He paused.

That was not true.

She was still his everything.

That had never changed.

His promise to love and protect her above all others was as true at that very moment as it had been the day they were married.

"I promise, Rin," he said with a quiet and reverent tone. "I will bring you back."

* * *

The bright, harsh white light was glaring, penetrating her closed eyelids. Low mumbles of voices were ringing in her ears as she fought to swim to the top of her consciousness, and out of the depths of the drug induced stupor into which they had submerged her. She focused all of her strength and will – which was considerable – on fighting whatever it was they were pouring into her system. She had an incredible resistance to toxins; if they didn't know that, they might not have dosed her properly. She was careful not to open her eyes or allow her breathing to show that she was regaining control over her body. She focused on her breathing, systematically going through her own body from head to toe as she focused her chakra and attempted to assess her physical state. She was just determining that she could actually feel her fingers when the conversation between the two men caught her undivided attention.

"How long until the subject's next dose," a voice asked somewhere off to her left.

"Not for at least another hour. At her height and weight, any more could be detrimental."

"_Fools_," she thought as she began to feel sensation return behind her eyelids and along her hairline. "_Never, never underestimate your enemy_."

"What about the others?"

She felt her heart beat in her ears and willed what chakra she could muster to sharpen her hearing. She heard the rustling of paper and the general sounds of the two men at their work.

"Looks like…. the other two are being held for later research; they are rare specimens, and not to be harmed. The third is of little use to us; a decent shinobi in his own right, but of no scientific interest. He will be used for experimentation."

"Is that the one in Exam Room Three?"

She could more shuffling of paper. "Yes. I don't expect him to live through the night."

The other voice grunted. "He'll be lucky if he makes it through the procedure. It's not like the useless ones are afforded any … did you hear something?"

"Probably the instruments again. He has all kinds of things brewing and cooking in there. Sounded like a centrifuge."

"Should we go check?"

"Are you kidding? It's not worth either of our hides to touch any of his experiments without a direct order. Do you remember what happened to the last guy who-"

He never heard what happened to the last guy. He looked up from his clipboard in just enough time to see the body of the other man heaped oddly on the floor before feeling the jab of something in his neck.

"Heart monitor," she said, as he fell to the floor, unconscious. "That's the sound it makes when you start to take the patches off." She searched his pockets and quickly relieved both men of anything that appeared to be useful, including their keys and swipe cards. She dragged the second one to where she had been laying and hooked him up to the monitors. She knew enough to know that the drug she had given him would keep him out for several hours; it was what had been laid out for use on her. Since she had doubled the dose, she didn't know enough to know if he'd die after that, but couldn't bring herself to be concerned about the matter. Right now, she needed a body and a heartbeat on that slab, and that was what he was providing her. She might have felt sorry for his friend if she had been in a more charitable mood, but she was decidedly _not_ in a charitable mood. She shoved the body of the dead man into a corner where he would go unnoticed, put on his lab coat, and filled her pockets with anything that could pass for a weapon, including scalpels, syringes, and the vial of the sedative they had been giving her.

She moved quickly and quietly along the wall and went into the first room off of the main laboratory.

Walls and walls of shelves and files sat ominously in the dim light. She made her way to the first shelf. It was filled with bins labeled with names and 'personal effects.' With a sickening horror, she realized this was where the items of the victims were stored. She saw her own name and reached for the bin, surprised to find all of her clothes, weapons, and supplies were accounted for. She didn't have time to question her good luck as she hurried to exchange her hospital gown for her own clothes, replacing the bin as she found it, but significantly less full. She began filling the pockets of her trusty trench coat, stealing as many weapons as she could logically take and carry. She fished a soldier pill and blood replenishing pill out of her supplies and bit down on them, ignoring the bitter combined taste. She felt her strength returning as she flexed her fingers; the drug was quickly being metabolized by her system. She was hoping that her chakra levels were going to be up to the task of getting her and her team out of here.

With the thought of her team, she immediately scoured the faces of the bins for the names of her comrades. She found only one.

"Ranka," she breathed, and fished out his belongings. Weapons, no clothes.

"Oh, sure," she muttered. "Leave _him_ dressed."

She had to hurry; the drugs were still in her system, and it wouldn't be long before her absence was discovered. With a silent apology to the dead and a promise for retribution at a later date, she went in search of her teammate and Exam Room Three.

She moved quickly and silently. The base was clearly underground. It did not appear to be densely populated. The laboratory partition of the base appeared to be newer than the surrounding walls, and she soon backtracked; if there was an exam room' it would be in this newer part of the base. She checked the watch she had stolen. Ten minutes had gone by. Assuming the man was actually one of those people that remembered to change the date on his watch, they had been missing for far longer than she realized.

With no small amount of luck, she found the examination room she was looking for, and it appeared to be unoccupied. She entered silently, and stayed close to the cool, sterile walls. The lights were lowered in the room, and she would have thought it was empty had she not heard the low, guttural moan. She made her way to the examination table and ripped back the blanket to find her teammate strapped down.

She swept her eyes over him as she cut the straps away. His sleeves were rolled up, and she could see the pinpricks all along his arms. He was bruised and bloodied; clearly he had put up a fight before they strapped him to the table. He let out a low groan as she unplugged his monitors and began to free him from the array of wires and sensors.

He fought to open his eyes and focus on her.

"A…Anko?"

"Hai. We're getting out of here."

"What about the others?" he asked, trying to sit up and failing miserably.

"We'll come back for them," she said grimly, helping him sit at the edge of the examination table.

Ranka looked around, wearily. "But… where are we?"

Anko's mouth set in a thin, firm line. "No idea." An alarm blared somewhere in the not-distant-enough distance. "But I'm guessing we should figure it out as soon as possible; while we are on the run."

"Leave me here," he rasped. "Get back to base."

"Not an option," she said, pulling him onto her back.

"That's suicide, Anko," he choked out.

"Still not the craziest thing I've ever done," she muttered as she slipped out of the doors of the lab and down a winding hall. As she heard the tell-tale sounds of pursuers closing in, she bit her thumb, "but it might be right up there," she admitted.

* * *

**_A/N: I know, I know. Teeny tiny update, and not even close to all that I have written. I apologize; I have had a heck of a time framing the next two chapters. I think I have it worked out now, though, so a follow up is coming shortly._**

**_In the meanwhile, I have been getting my frustrations with this story out by working on another story! (because that makes sense, right?) I admit, I am crap at summaries, but I am really enjoying this side project, and invite you to take a look. Ok. I admit. I am trying to distract you while I edit these next two chapters, but, hey, two chapters! …. Is it working? – Thanks for all of the support, friends! -GL_**

**_Double or Nothing: AU/modern day setting_**

**_Captain Kakashi is gunned down on the front steps of the Konoha Police Department. As his life hangs in the balance, his officers rush to find his assailants, and bring them to justice. Kakashi's team must now navigate a grueling investigation rife with unexpected turns. Luckily for him, his band of officers includes a fiercely tenacious markswoman, a brilliant tactician, a loyal K-9 specialist, an intuitive interim Captain, and Naruto. _**


	8. Chapter 8: Promises to Keep

**A/N: ((Insert witty remark about how I don't own Naruto, hence this being Fanfiction here))**

* * *

**You Must Believe in Spring**

**Chapter Eight: Promises to Keep**

Tsunade was sitting in the observation area reserved for the Hokage, her eyebrow twitching.

"Tsunade," the voice held a knowing warning.

"I hate this," she growled crossing her arms over her chest. She missed the appreciative look in Jiraiya's eye, which is probably the only thing that kept him from being knocked into the Training Arena from his current perch on her chair.

"I know," he said, and put a hand on her shoulder. "But we discussed this. There is a good chance that all of the unusual happenings are linked. We have two new agents that have been under ANBU watch for a good portion of their lives, and a very real possibility that there is still an informant in our ranks. It couldn't be avoided any longer."

"Hai," she sighed in frustration. She stood and went to the one-way windows, surveying the arena where Sakura was running through the basic battery of shinobi skills. She looked over to a nearby observation area and a slow, wicked smile began to curve her lips. "Well at least some good will come of this spectacle."

"Oh-ho!" Jiraiya chuckled, joining her at the window. "Made sure he got a front row seat, did you?" he asked. "Not very nice of you, Tsunade," he admonished playfully. "I see that you took the young Yamanaka's suggestion. The kunoichi's of this village are a force to be reckoned with," he shuddered.

"I wonder who else has a front row seat," she said absently, as she scanned the area.

"Did you invite Sarutobi-sensei? You know how he loves to see the young ones in action."

Tsunade smiled gently. "Asuma said he might be too tired to come, but he would try. Ebisu is on hand to take him to the visiting Kage observation deck if he decides to attend, and he travels with a medical-nin these days. Konohamaru came to watch with Asuma and Kurenai; he'll be sure to stay with Sensei if he comes."

"Never thought that brat would turn out as well as he did," Jiraiya snorted. "He was even worse than Naruto."

Tsunade gave a short laugh. "Maybe that is why Naruto was the only one to get through to him."

"Prankster to prankster," Jiraiya nodded.

"More like brat to brat. And don't think I don't think I don't know about their old Sexy Jutsu contests and who offered to be the judge for their final face off. That is probably why you and Naruto connected so well," Tsunade rolled her eyes.

Jiraiya laughed openly with his hand behind his head, unabashedly unashamed of his own pervyness. "Yeah, guess that is one thing he can say he got from me!" he grinned.

"Lady Tsunade," Yamato appeared in the room.

"Yamato," she nodded. "Are you ready to go set the arena?"

The man looked confused at Tsunade's impish look. "I set it before Hyūga Hinata began her team exercise," he said as he handed her a scroll. "This coded message just came from Suna."

Curious, Tsunade opened the scroll and scanned its contents, before handing it to Jiraiya and going to the window again.

"Strength training," Neji called out.

"Tell Proctor Hyūga to give Sakura the go ahead," She said to Yamato, motioning him over to the window.

Yamato gave the order and watched Sakura stride to the middle of the training ground with a sinking feeling in his gut. He watched in horrified fascination as she took out the entire arena with one tremendous punch, much to Tsunade and Jiraiya's amusement.

Tsunade calmly leaned against the wall, and reached out a perfectly manicured and varnished finger to hold the intercom button down pointedly as she looked at Yamato

"Yamato. Report to Training Arena. Reset Arena," Tsunade's voice rang proudly over the loudspeaker. "Proctors, take Haruno Sakura back to the holding area."

She released the button as Yamato sweat dropped. "Hai," he sighed before flicking out of sight.

"Well, well," Jiraiya drawled, surveying the damage done by Tsunade's protégé. "Looks like the day is about to get more interesting." He handed back the scroll to her, "Full of surprises, aren't we?"

Tsunade smirked. "Don't pretend you didn't know who her team is," she waved her hand.

"It has been kept under wraps for quite some time now," Jiraiya leaned back against the ledge of the observation windows. "Are you willing for that knowledge to be all over ANBU; because it will be about 30 seconds after Gaara arrives on that training ground. It can be avoided; it isn't as if anyone was expecting her team to travel from Suna."

"That is because we let it be known that her team was not comprised of ASF members, much less ANBU. Given who her team mates are, are you surprised that they would be here? This is more than a training exercise – it is an official ANBU evaluation. Gaara insisted on coming."

"What else, Tsunade?" he asked knowingly.

"I told you I hate this," she sighed, "but I agreed to open this session to viewing for a good reason." She looked to her friend. "Both Sakura and Hinata have been targets in the past, and could very well be targeted in the near future. If anyone is watching, I don't want them to think that they will be easy targets just because they are new to ANBU. Hinata has the protection of her clan; her position as clan-mother is public knowledge, and she is always within sight of someone from her clan. It is easy to forget that she is a capable kunoichi in her own right. Sakura on the other hand, has no clan, but is known for being clever, resourceful and strong – although _how_ strong isn't exactly common knowledge," Tsunade smiled smugly. "I don't want to reveal the full scope of her capabilities, but it would be wise to let it be known that she is by no means unprotected. Any idiot that happens upon her bio on the hospital website will know that she lived in Suna," Tsunade continued, turning to look back out over the arena. "Now is a good time to let it be known how tight those ties to Suna are."

"Directly to the Kazekage," Jiraiya finished. "Directly to one who is fiercely protective of his comrades, much less his teammates, and is one of the deadliest shinobi alive. It would take someone rather desperate or foolish to take such a connection lightly."

Tsunade shot a look to where she knew Kakashi's team would be watching. "That is what I'm counting on."

Jiraiya, however, looked across the arena to the visiting Kage's box, wistfuly. "A teacher is always protective of their students."

She followed his gaze and smiled gently. "We had the best teacher," she leaned her back against the glass. "I only hope we live up to what he taught us."

"Lady Tsunade," Shizune's voice rang in their room. She crossed over to the communication screen and activated the two-way video function.

"Hai," she answered, crossing her arms.

"Ebisu just reported in; Master Sarutobi arrived not that long ago, and is in the visiting Kage box."

"Excellent," she nodded. "Make sure Ebisu tells Asuma and Konohamaru once he is ready. They are in Observation Room Three. Tell Hyūga to stay with Sakura and escort her to the arena when it is time. Keep Tenten in with Team Eight. Are the teams ready for the next match-up?"

"Hai, Lady Tsunade. I am with Genma's team. Haruno's pick-up team is waiting in a separate holding area."

"Very good. Tsunade out," she ended the conversation and looked back to Jiraiya.

"Looks like Yamato is finishing up," Jiraiya nodded to the training area below them, once again thick with trees. Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "Genma's team, eh?" he asked her. "Good. Solid. Experienced. Only of-age team I think would give them a real run for their money,-"

"Is Team Seven," Tsunade finished. "But this isn't about exposing potential weaknesses," she sighed. "I've sheltered Sakura from a run-in with Uchiha as long as possible. The least I could do now is not force their reunion on the battlefield."

Jiraiya gave a slow grin. "Speaking as one that once was on the receiving end of that monstrous strength, I'd say you are sheltering Sasuke."

Tsunade turned to face the arena as Neji led Saukra back in. She squared her shoulders. "The time for sheltering anyone is done, now," she said firmly. "Whether we like it or not, it is a luxury we can no longer afford."

"Having good comrades," Jiraiya put his hand on her shoulder, "More than makes up for any luxury lost. They aren't alone – and neither are you, Tsunade."

She put her hand on his, gratefully. "I know."

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen took his seat in the visiting Kage box gingerly. He knew that Ebisu was watching his every move intently, and he smiled to himself. He was a good-natured man, and he did not annoy easily. He chose to be amused at the way many of the ASF/ANBU staff regarded him since his retirement eight or so years ago. He was far less feeble than they believed him to be, but he allowed them this folly as it was born of respect and affection, not condescension.

"I am sorry that we were not able to come earlier," he said as he adjusted himself in his seat and handed his walking stick over to his medic-nin and body guard. "I had wanted to see the Hyūga's performance."

"She did quite well," Ebisu assured him, standing as casually as he could by his former commander-in-chief. This meant he was at a modified military-grade parade rest. Master Sarutobi smiled to himself. Some things never changed.

"I had no doubt that she would," the former head of ANBU said, taking his pipe out of his robe. "She comes to visit me now and then," he said as he filled the pipe and prepared to light it. "Just like her mother did. The Hyūga's have the most wonderful remedies for arthritis," he paused as he lit his pipe and took a long inhalation. "Remind me to ask her for more, Yori," he said over his shoulder. The medic nin nodded. "And perhaps she will make some more of that tea I like so much," he blew a ring of smoke into the air. "Did you know that years ago her mother had even grown some tobaccos for me?" he asked Ebisu conversationally. "She had the botanists at the hospital research blends that she felt were less damaging to the health." He chuckled. "I often wondered if Biwako had something to do with that request." He paused. His wife had been dead for many years, and he did not speak of her often. "I told Kurenai about it though," he said conspiratorially. "I suspect that she switched out Asuma's brand about ten years ago. The smoke started smelling different about then." He paused and shook his head at his own ramblings.

"I am sorry, Ebisu," he looked over to the overly proper Jōnin instructor. "I fear I ramble in my old age. Why don't you go and get Konohamaru? He is used to the ramblings of an old man, as is poor Yori, here."

Ebisu quickly assessed the silent medical nin. He also wore dark glasses, and had the same kind of high collared uniform and head covering as the hospital medics. Ebisu found himself briefly wondering if this was an Aburame, and suppressed his shudder. He was a finicky man, and bugs were not on his list of things he cared for.

Ebisu pushed his dark glasses up on his nose with a frown. "Lady Tsunade asked me to stay with you, Master Sarutobi."

The former Hokage gave the man a gentle, reassuring smile. "I promise to do nothing that will put you in trouble with my former student, Ebisu. Yori is here to look after me." Ebisu slid his gaze to the man, doubtfully. "He is an excellent field medic." Master Sarutobi assured him. "Why don't you go find my grandson and ask him to join me?"

Ebisu reluctantly agreed, and left the room.

As Master Sarutobi watched Sakura's spectacular feat of strength, he couldn't help but smile wryly at the intermingled flood of fond, and dark memories.

"This life is a strange thing, Yori," he said quietly. "We only hope that we live long enough to not repeat mistakes, or at least that others may learn from our follies."

The stoic man nodded his head, and the former Hokage smiled slightly. "When you get to be as old as I am, you get to wax philosophical."

Silence from both men and smoke rings from one as the arena was re-set and Sakura returned for the team exercise. "Ah!" he exclaimed as the elder two Sand Siblings joined Sakura on the training ground, "I see that Temari and Kankuro have joined Sakura. There is a sight I wouldn't have thought I'd live to see. In fact I- what's this?"

Master Sarutobi watched as Gaara arrived below. "Perfect," he smiled. "How the children have grown."

Yori nodded.

Master Sarutobi looked over to the box where he knew two of his original students to be. "They have guarded the Kings well," he said quietly.

The thunderous echo of fast footfall he knew could only belong to his grandson as he came barreling down the hall warned both grandfather and companion of Konohamaru's arrival. The door swung open, and Konohamaru burst in, all enthusiasm and smiles.

"Wow – Gramps, did you _see_ that?!" he asked striding past his grandfather to point out of the window. "First Dr. Haruno blasts apart the arena, and now the Kazekage is here?! What a training assessment, huh?!"

He came back over to his grandfather and draped an arm over his chair. "You picked a great day to come down," he continued to beam. "You need anything?"

Master Sarutobi, shook his head slowly, smiling at his grandson's exuberance. He could still see the small child that demanded he hand over the position of Hokage to him shining from behind those eyes.

"Yori has taken good care of me."

"Oh," Konohamaru turned and nodded to the man, "Hey, Yori. Talking the Old Man's ear off again?"

The medic-nin had no change in expression, and Konohamaru didn't expect one. Yori had been around for probably about five years now, and rarely if ever spoke. "So what will they do now?" he asked his grandfather. "What team do we have that could go up against the Kazekage and his siblings? Even just politically speaking? Is that even allowed?"

Master Sarutobi seemed to think about this as he blew out a puff of smoke. "He isn't the Kazekage in this arena," he said thoughtfully. "We shall have to see what Tsunade decides."

"Aw man," Konohamaru pulled up a chair to sit next to his grandfather. "I hope that Brother Naruto will join in. That would be awesome!"

"That would be a sight indeed," the older man laughed. "Now while we wait, tell me about what you have been up to. Did they ever sort out that jewel heist and drug lord issue? What about that escort detail you were supposed to go on?"

Konohamaru grinned, knowing what his grandfather would really like to hear. "I've got an even better one to tell you about," he said impishly. "I'm supposed to guard a _girl_."

* * *

Gaara had not always been allowed to be kind. His mother died when he was born, and his father's gradual mental decline began with her death. The previous Kazekage had been an easy target for the man that had manipulated him and the One-Tail demon Shukaku. The tailed beasts had not been a problem for their jinchūriki counterparts for generations. The Kazekage thought that perhaps the One-Tail had not taken to his son, and soon found his village and his family were threatened. Finally and reluctantly convinced that he needed to end the life of his son, he sent his best and most trusted shinobi – Gaara's uncle – to kill him.

He failed.

The resulting rampage of the demon had been officially classified as a 'natural disaster,' and Gaara had been put under constant watch. It was only after the Chūnin exams when Gaara was 12 that it was discovered that the tailed beast had been being manipulated by an imposter. Shukaku could remember nothing; but he did know he had seen the red eyes of an Uchiha. The ASF had never found this person, and it was determined that it might be someone who had gotten a hold of a pair of Sharingan rather than a true Uchiha. After all – all of the Uchiha were dead, except for Sasuke and his family, and they had not been to Suna during that time.

His father had been killed during the Chūnin exams, and Gaara had been released from the hatred and fear that had so long plagued his life. He returned to Suna fragile and broken after the experience, and trying to forge bonds with Shukaku and everyone around him. It would never have been possible without the help of Naruto, and the strange pink-haired girl that had come to work with Chiyo-baasama.

She hadn't spoken to him before the exams – no one was allowed near him. After the exams, though, Chiyo, Baki, Temari, Kankuro, and Sakura had stepped in to help him learn to control the beast within, and rebuild the life that had nearly been stolen from him.

He remembered the first time her sparkling green eyes hadn't looked upon him with fear, but with determination. He remembered countless healings and encouragements, and promises of supporting him to become the Kazekage. He remembered the first time he had kissed her when they were teenagers, and the young romance that had followed. When he became the Kazekage, she had kissed him seriously and passionately for the last time.

"You don't need me now," she had said then. Although he knew that statement would never be true; he would always need her; he understood. There was always something missing between them, and he had never known quite what it was.

Shortly after he had become the Kazekage, an attempt had been made on his life. He had been kidnapped, beaten, and Shukaku had nearly been extracted from him. Naruto, Sakura, and Chiyo had saved his life. Chiyo had given hers to save him. Sakura vowed to take the woman's place in caring for him, and had been true to her word.

He was the one that insisted she return to Konoha. Tsunade had offered to train her personally, and although she excelled at Suna University, Gaara knew she needed more. The day she left, he had kissed _her_ for the last time, and, for the first time but certainly not the last, questioned why he had ever let her go.

She hadn't returned to Suna; not in the way she had been there before. While she returned for breaks from school and to train with their team, a part of her always remained in Konoha. Perhaps Gaara knew she had always been a rare and exotic visitor like a migratory bird rather than a transplant. Some small part of Gaara would never share the woman with anyone – even Naruto. A much larger and more sensible part of Gaara would always support her no matter what. He wasn't sure which part of him had both completely understood and yet never forgiven the Uchiha for leaving her behind. That was a subject he chose not to dwell on, as there really was nothing to be done about it. Well. Until now.

Gaara had already planned on traveling to Konoha with all due haste to make sure his siblings were safe. After Shikamaru had told him what was going on, and Naruto had sent him a text stating "Guess who just joined the club?" he had figured it all out. He sent the summoning scroll to Temari, and prepared to come stand beside his siblings with childhood friend and team mate.

Gaara had finally earned the kind of life that allowed him to be kind. He was loyal, steadfast, and unyielding when it came to protecting those dear to him. It was something that he wanted the Uchiha to be very, very well aware of, as well as anyone else that might think to show an interest – innocent or otherwise – in the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura stared at him when he arrived, Hyūga Neji looking only less slightly shocked than she did.

"Gaara!" she stammered. "You came!"

"Of course he came," Kankuro scoffed. "You're part of our team."

"You realize what that means, don't you Pinky?" Temari chimed in.

Sakura looked between them all, something catching at the back of her throat.

Gaara reached out a hand to her, and placed it firmly on her shoulder.

"It means," he said steadily as he looked to his siblings and then back to her, "We will always come for you."

Sakura wrapped Gaara in a tight hug, who took a second to flick a glance at the not-yet-recovered Hyūga before murmuring into her hair, "It is just as I promised, Sakura," he hugged her back, recalling the words he had said to her the day she left Suna. "I will _always_ come for you."

* * *

"No. Frickin'. WAY." Naruto almost spit out a mouthful of instant ramen (that he must have procured in the 30 seconds he had been quiet) as he leapt to his feet. "Is… is that Gaara?!" his eyes bugged out of his head. "Sakura is on the Kazekage's team? THAT is who she trains with?! Man, I can't believe neither of them told me! This is insane! This-," he caught sight of Sasuke's narrowed eyes and icily composed expression.

"This is unexpected," he amended quickly before sitting back down.

_'__Unexpected.'_

Sasuke turned back to look into the arena, and willed himself not to scoff out the reply that was burning at the back of his tongue.

'Unexpected,' was at once the grossest of gross understatements as well as the most patently perfect word for this whole clusterfuck of a week was turning out to be.

It was the word that on his cellular level had come to epitomize Haruno Sakura to Uchiha Sasuke.

_It was the final weeks of his time at the Academy._

_He wasn't sure if it was because graduation was on the horizon, or just the time of year, but Sasuke's fan girl club had become almost disturbingly more aggressive in their pursuit of him. Even the girls that had no shinobi skills were starting to become a problem; never mind someone like Ino who eventually graduated top in their class. There was a reason she ended up with the highest grade in "assertiveness," and the second highest in "cooperation." What it meant for Sasuke was she was relentless and had help, and that was a problem. _

_It had been even more of a problem since Sakura had mysteriously become less aggressive in the last two weeks. With her main competitor off of her game, Ino's tactics had become, if he could borrow the sentiment from Nara, troublesome enough to make Sasuke completely revamp his evasion techniques. _

_Itachi had noticed his predicament. He made Sasuke an offer over their ritual after-classes cup of tea. "Give me the details," Itachi said. "We'll make it a training exercise. Each day you'll have a different assignment, and I'll observe and critique your performance." _

_Today, Itachi gave him his first assignment. "Leave the class first," he instructed that morning. "Make a clone and let them chase it. You have to keep your chakra suppressed, and stay out of sight, though; that Yamanaka girl will see through the trick if you don't do it properly, and then you won't be able to use the strategy again. Let's see how long it takes you." _

_"__Hn."_

_Sasuke watched the clock. Five minutes before dismissal he excused himself to the restroom, and sent a clone back in his place. Itachi would later call this a good bit of improvisation to the plan as it avoided someone seeing him make the clone. Class was dismissed, the clone still left early, and the girls went chasing after him. Sasuke kept his chakra carefully masked as he saw his classmates filter by, one by one. _

_Iruka stood in the doorway, seeing them off. As his teacher turned to return to the classroom, Sasuke began to emerge from his hiding place._

_"__Oh, I didn't see you there," Iruka said._

_"__Shit." Sasuke thought, but realized the man was talking to someone still in the room. Sasuke frowned. He should have thought to keep a count of the people that had left to make sure he was really clear to leave. He had to stay put now, he realized, at least until he found out who was in that room._

_"__Did you need something, Sakura?" he asked, kindly. _

_"__Shit, shit." He'd really have to stay put now. He suppressed an annoyed sigh. This was going to kill his time for the exercise. He heard her mumble something and the sound of belongings being shoveled into a bag. He frowned. She normally picked up her things in a precise and ordered manner, and was one of the first out of the classroom. If she did stay to speak with a teacher, she was usually standing politely back from their desk, waiting for their time._

_"__I didn't quite catch that," Iruka said._

_"__No, thank you." she said distantly, making her way to the door. He saw her framed in the doorway, long candy-pink hair, red ribbon, arms crossed in front of her in an uncharacteristically unsure gesture. _

_He watched her come to some decision. She stopped in the door, and turning back, blurted out the question:_

_"__What is it like in Suna?"_

_Sasuke could hear the surprise in Iruka's voice, and could just make out his face from his hiding place. _

_"__In Suna?" he asked, clearly taken aback. "Other than hot?" Something in her expression made the instructor change tact quickly. It wasn't unusual for Sakura to hang back to ask questions after class, but neither Sasuke nor Iruka had ever heard her be this uneasy about it. They were both just inside the doorway now, and Sasuke found himself listening carefully._

_"__Suna is three days travel from here, in the Land of Wind. It is one of the five original hidden villages, and has long been known for their strong and resilient shinobi. After the Fourth Shinobi War, their ties to Konoha were particularly strong, and we have been good allies ever since. There is an ASF base there. They still have a Kazekage as a village head; you know that at one time here in Konoha, the leader was called the Hokage? As time went on, we expanded the council into an elected body, and the role of Hokage fell out of use. We use the honorary title for the director of the Konoha ASF branch. Master Sarutobi is still very involved in the village, but not in the same capacity as the Kazekage is in his. The Kazekage's role is virtually unchanged from before the Fourth Shinobi War."_

_Sakura nodded, mutely, and Sasuke could tell she was cataloging all of the information as Iruka spoke. _

_"__The ASF branch is actually one of the best in the Allied Shinobi Nations," Iruka continued. "The one here in Konoha is the biggest, but our village had the most natural resources to support a civilian population. Suna has grown, but not to the extent that Konoha has. Some of the most elite ASF members have come from the Suna branch."_

_"__And, they still train shinobi?" Sakura asked absently. _

_"__Of course," Iruka nodded. "Just like we do here in Konoha. The ASF is a main employer, but we still maintain our own shinobi forces for village needs and missions. Genin teams develop into Chūnin and Jōnin teams; even if the members go on to the ASF or other jobs, they still train together, and are expected to log time at least once a month with the village. It is what helps keep our village and the Allied Shinobi Nations safe."_

_"__We have more civilians now," Sakura said, looking out of the window. _

_"__True," Iruka nodded. "The ASF has both civilian positions and shinobi ones. Of course, a civilian position just refers to the type of work done, not the qualification of the person doing it. Take your parents, for instance. They both have civilian positions with the ASF, but they both graduated from the academy."_

_"__They are genin," she replied tonelessly. _

_Iruka smiled. "True. But life is different in Konoha now; not as many students go on to take the Chūnin exams. Your parents got good jobs through the ASF. Will they be coming to the graduation ceremony?" Sakura nodded. "They must be so proud of all you have accomplished," he said warmly. _

_Sasuke frowned to see that she looked uncertain; sad somehow._

_ "__Listen, Sakura," the instructor said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You are one of the brightest pupils that has come through this school, and you have the makings of a fine kunoichi. Whatever path you take, I know you are going to make Konoha proud."_

_She gave a wan smile. "Th-thanks, sensei," she said with a quick bob of her head._

_"__Sakura," Iruka asked kindly. "What is it?"_

_She mumbled some sort of explanation to her instructor, whose eyes grew wide. Sasuke found he had crept closer during the duration of the conversation to try to overhear. Displeased with his vantage point, he silently crossed the hall and pressed himself against the wall, trying to better hear what was said._

_Suddenly, he heard "I- I have to go," and she gave a quick wave and rushed out of the door. She was looking at the floor, and moving so quickly, that she almost walked into the wall where he was standing, and he had nowhere to go. She corrected her course at the last second and called "Gomen," over her shoulder, rubbing her arm where she had bumped into him. _

_If she had turned around, she would have seen a very surprised Uchiha Sasuke staring after her. _

_He narrowed his eyes at her back. She had been starting to cry. The fact that she didn't even acknowledge him should have been a relief; he was nothing if not disdainful of the attention of his female classmates. _

_She had literally run straight into him. He had almost put a hand out reflexively to steady her, but she had moved away too fluidly and too fast. He was mildly surprised and perhaps even impressed that she moved that efficiently while distracted. He glanced back to the classroom, his eyebrows drawing together. What had upset her? She was a bright student; it was unlikely that anything said to her about her work in that room would make her cry. _

_On the training grounds, that was a different story. She was far too concerned with her academics and wasting time trailing after him to put the time into her weapon or defense skills._

_Iruka came out a moment later, and Sasuke raked his eyes over him, sizing him up._

_"__Oh, Sasuke," he said brightly. "Did you need something?"_

_What was going on? Sasuke hated not knowing things. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shook his head 'no.' _

_"__Alright, then," his teacher waved as he went down the hall in the opposite direction from Sakura. "See you tomorrow."_

_Sasuke watched him go before walking down the quiet hall toward the exit. He stopped just short of the tree with the swing, watching as his older brother jumped down. _

_"__Ready to go home?" Itachi asked. Sasuke nodded, looking over his shoulder. "Looking for something?"_

_Sasuke kept sweeping his eyes side to side. "Did… did anyone come out right before me?" he asked cryptically. _

_Itachi watched his younger brother carefully but spoke lightly. "That pink haired girl that likes to follow you around. She came running out a little while ago. Seemed pretty upset. Did she have to suffer another one of your rejections?"_

_Sasuke snorted. "I had nothing to do with it. No telling what she is upset about."_

_Itachi continued to watch his brother carefully as he spoke. "Guess it is none of our business, then," he shrugged. "Let's go home."_

_Sasuke seemed about to say something, but stopped himself. "Hai," was all he managed and the two brothers took off for home._

_Two weeks later, he figured it out. _

_In another challenge by Itachi, he was tasked with information gathering. He was using ninja cats and clones to listen to what his enemies (the girls of his class) were plotting so that he could better avoid it. _

_Sasuke kept his chakra masked as he sat high in the tree, eating his lunch. His clone was studiously avoiding conversation with Ino at another table. Sakura was sitting alone, reading. He did little more than roll his eyes when three of the girls from his class plopped under the tree to eat. Ami, Kasumi, and Fuki were not only annoying, they were mean to their other classmates. While he had no love for his classmates, he didn't feel the need to be cruel to them either. He had no idea what petty crap these girls found to talk about, and was silently gathering his lunch to move when Ami spoke up_

_"__So did you hear?" Ami asked with a hushed excitement._

_"__Hear what?" the girls replied._

_"__I heard my dad talking to my mom last night. You know how dad works over at the ASF?" The girls nodded, leaning into hear the story. "And you know how Suna had that major natural disaster when were were six?"_

_More nodding._

_"__Well, turns out they've been really slow to rebuild. This year there were earthquakes, and the ASF decided to transfer some people to Suna to help rebuild and to ramp up the ASF branch there."_

_Kausmi looked confused; which was only mildly different from her usual appearance of constipation. "So what?"_

_"__So," Ami continued, "This isn't a relief thing – this is a permanent thing. Suna hasn't even been able to send their genin to the Chūnin exams the last few years; it's gotten that bad. Any genin transferring to Suna will probably stay a genin until they are thirty," she smiled viciously. "And guess whose family just. Got. Transferred?"_

_Fuki and Kasumi looked at each other, and then back to Ami. "Who?!"_

_"__None other than "I-think-I'm-so-smart-and-better-than-anyone-else-billboard-brow-Haruno-Sakura."_

_"__No way," Kasumi gasped while Fuki smirked. _

_Ami nodded, her smile cruel "Yes, way. Little Miss Haruno is going to be sent to the sandbox to rot as a genin. Lot of good all of that studying did her."_

_Kasumi and Fuki joined in her laughter._

_"__Bet they don't even sell conditioner in Suna – she'll never be able to leave the house," Kasumi snickered. Sasuke frowned. This coming from the girl whose hair looked like a puffball? "Guess Ino will get Sasuke after all."_

_Ami narrowed her eyes. "I'm not out of the game, yet – now here's what I want to try-"_

_The plan they began to detail was so absurdly stupid, he stopped listening. He found himself more annoyed than usual at what these girls had said. He looked over to the table where Sakura sat as Naruto slid across from her. Today, though, she gave him a small smile and let him sit and have lunch at her table. _

_They ate their lunch together, unaware they had an observer. _

_Later, when Sasuke compiled all of the information that day (having avoided every girl that tried to see him) he was surprised to hear their conversation from his cats:_

_"__Really?!" the dobe asked, his eyes bright._

_"__Sure," she said, taking out an apple to eat._

_"__So – is this like a date?!"_

_Sakura bit her apple, and at her expression, Naruto waved his hands furiously._

_"__Just kidding, Sakura!" he rubbed the back of his head nervously. _

_"__It's ok, Naruto," she said quietly._

_"__What's wrong, Sakura," he asked, suddenly more serious than was his normal attitude. "You've been down for a while."_

_"__That obvious, huh?" she asked, taking another bite of her apple._

_"__Y-yeah," he stammered then frowned. "Are you upset about Sasuke? You haven't been hanging around him lately."_

_Sakura gave a small shrug. "No real point."_

_Naruto stated at her – should he offer to help? "I… I might be able to help you," he finally offered. "I mean, if you want-"_

_"__Thanks," she shook her head, "but no. I… I'm moving to Suna after graduation. My dad has to move for work. I've only have a couple of weeks before I leave; I don't want to waste them on something or someone that is just going to be left behind. Although," she turned the apple in her hand, as if studying where to bite next, "You can't really leave behind something that isn't' there, can you?" She took a bite and chewed it deliberately while Naruto sat in silence. "I've been doing a lot of thinking, and well… I finally get it. Sasuke doesn't – and isn't – going to care about me. I'm actually kind of relieved, you know? It's one less thing to leave behind."_

_Naruto looked at her. "Friends don't get left behind. Friends stay friends."_

_"__Sasuke and I aren't friends," she shook her head sadly._

_"__But we are," Naruto said putting a hand on her arm. "Aren't we?"_

_Sakura looked into those blue eyes and saw the same thing that would later draw so many into his circle of friends. She suddenly saw behind the annoying attempts at getting her attention; he stopped doing to her what she had done to Sasuke, and was reaching out in a way that she could never have known she wanted. _

_"__I… I… Yeah." She finally said, with a grateful smile. "We're friends."_

_Naruto smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Sakura. That means I can come and visit, right? I've never been to Suna before!"_

_Sakura gave a small laugh. "Me, neither."_

_"__Well, you'll have to let me know how it is! I'm sure Ino will come visit you, right? Well I'll come too, believe it!"_

_Sakura found tears slipping down her cheeks as she laughed. "Ha-Hai," she smiled, and put her hand over his, and he flushed. _

_"__So how about a date before you leave?" he asked, big cheezy grin in place, and scratching the back of his head._

_Sakura rolled her eyes. "Naruto…" she laugh-sighed. They continued to laugh and talk for the remainder of lunch. Sakura stopped chasing Sasuke, and Naruto stopped chasing Sakura. Ino found out about Sakura's predicament and they abandoned all of the pretenses of animosity, and went back to being good friends. _

_Unexpected._

_Her reaction to deciding not to chase after him, her sudden and strong friendship with Naruto – everything about her was unexpected._

_Somehow in the last few weeks, his whole class (minus a few of the absolute wastes of space like Ami and company) was united around Sakura, and became closer than they had during all of their years at the academy. _

_Sasuke remained on the periphery of it all, the strangest part of it being that it was only in those weeks when Sakura had paid so little attention to Sasuke that he finally paid attention to her._ _He remembered thinking it was a pity. She was much more interesting to be around when she wasn't chasing after him. Vaguely, one day after she had gone, Sasuke noticed he missed looking out for her; the mystery of Suna solved, he now knew where and why she had gone, and over the years thought of the pink haired girl far more often than he would have admitted – even to Naruto. _

He often wondered how that girl – that at once fragile and persistent girl – was going to survive in the deserts of Suna. Given all that happened at the Chūnin exams, he had later been thankful that she was not allowed to attend; even more so when they were older, and he reflected upon their past lives.

Everything about Haruno Sakura was unexpected.

He never expected her to leave Konoha.

He never expected her to go somewhere as isolated and removed from their collective lives as Suna.

He never expected to care that she was no longer a part of the lives of him and his friends; and he certainly never expected to care that she no longer sought his approval.

He never expected to attend the farewell party that Ino threw for her, nor to actually extend a hand to her in farewell, which she took gingerly and without trying to press an advantage. In that instant, he saw the woman she would become behind those green eyes. She seemed to be smiling at the 12 year old girl she had so recently been as if it had been years since she had last tried to follow him wherever it was he was going.

He never expected to wonder about her each time the cherry blossoms bloomed, and sent their delicate fragrance dancing across the wind.

He never expected to see her again.

She blew all of his expectations out of the water once more when he saw her that day at Konoha University; a strong, young woman in place of the girl that had left.

He never expected to be so affected by her touch, her words, or just the sight of her after so many years.

He never expected to feel as a bit of an outsider as she effortlessly rejoined their friends as if she had never left their company.

He never expected Hyūga Neji to immediately see her for everything she was and was still becoming and to take an interest.

He never expected that to elicit primal proprietary feelings toward a girl that he hadn't seen since he was 12, but who had never been far from his mind.

He never expected to quietly and systematically pursue her until she was his, and – perhaps even unthinkably – he was hers.

He never expected to have to leave her.

For the second time in his life, he never expected to see her again.

Once again, she had blown all of his expectations out of the water.

He was viscerally affected by just the sight of her, and at once amazed, embittered, and fascinated by all she had become in those five long years apart.

He watched her from behind glass, noting that Hyūga Neji was still interested in her, and was still offering him a challenge, although this time he had the high ground.

He never expected to still have the primal and proprietary feelings for this woman that he hadn't seen since he was twenty, but this time to feel as if he had no right to them whatsoever.

He had never expected to see her standing shoulder to shoulder with the Kazekage, undaunted by anything that could potentially be thrown her way, and secure in her own abilities as well as that of her team.

He never expected to feel his heart beat a wild tattoo of fierce pride, admiration, and something achingly painful that he didn't have the words to place yet.

She stood there, eyes bright, cheeks flushed, and ready to take on the world. Student of Chiyo. Apprentice to Tsunade. Team mate of the Kazekage.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Perhaps more than just a team mate to the Kazekage.

Sudden leaps in his pulse aside, somewhere a thought - unbidden, unjustified, unbridled, and completely and utterly genuine - bubbled from out of the depths of his being to break across his consciousness summarizing everything he could think and feel at a that moment, leaving only the barest hint of an upward twitch of his mouth.

As unexpected as Haruno Sakura had always been in his life, he knew for a fact that nothing was truer than the marrow-deep synopsis of all that she was and had been, and would always be to him in the simplest, truest, and most pedestrian of phrases:

_"That's my girl."_

* * *

Team Eight looked on in shock as the scene between Gaara and his team played out.

No one could speak.

No one, that is, but Tenten.

"You owe me dinner," Tenten coolly informed Kiba.

"Huh?"

"I said there'd be a summoning," she shrugged. "You bet against it. You owe me dinner."

Kiba should've protested; the match hadn't really officially started, after all. He opened his mouth to do just that when he suddenly thought _"What the hell am I thinking?"_

"You win," he held up his hands. "Where and when."

Tenten kept her eyes on the arena. "We'll talk after the match; might want to see how much you owe me before you decide."

Kiba had the decency to feign concern while Hinata hid a smile behind her hand and Shino (probably) rolled his eyes.

The familiar crackle of the loudspeaker rang in their room seconds before Tsunade spoke.

"What a pleasant surprise, Kazekage," Tsunade's voice came over the speaker cordially. "I presume this means that you will not be releasing your team mate to fight without the rest of you?"

"Damn straight!" Kankurō called out.

Gaara gave him what should have been a warning look, but it never quite reached his eyes. "Hai, Lady Tsunade."

She sighed over the loudspeaker. "Very well. In light of the current situation, Haruno Sakura, you are admitted to ANBU under the recommendation of two Kages. This exercise is complete."

A collective groan came from the spectators in each of their rooms, although those in the arena could not hear.

"With all due respect, Lady Tsunade," Gaara called out. "I was hoping to continue our exercise. I would consider it a favor if we could have our team training session here."

There was a pause over the loudspeaker. "An interesting proposition, Kazekage." Tsunade said slowly. "In light of your request, shall have to consider reconfiguring the opposing team. I don't suppose you have any _other_ requests?" she asked, a mild hint of irritation in her tone.

Gaara seemed ready to decline, but changed his mind. "For the purposes of this exercise, would it be possible to have Uzumaki Naruto as one of the opponents?

"Forgive me, Kazegage, but Naruto-," Tsunade started, but narrowed her eyes as the man appeared in front of Gaara, arm outstretched. "…is apparently going to partake in this exercise." She finished flatly.

Gaara was calm, cool, and collected, but obviously pleased to see his friend. "It has been a long time," Gaara said simply, shaking Naruto's offered hand.

Naruto began to reply when he froze in place, an eerie sensation prickling at his skin. He looked at Gaara who seemed to be having the same reaction, and immediately released his sand to swarm protectively around his siblings as Naruto prepared multiple clones.

"Scatter," he directed, and several surrounded his friends, while others formed a perimeter around the training area. Temari crouched with her fan at the ready while Sakura stepped in front of Kankurō and Neji activated his Byakugan. "Kurama says something is coming."

"Naruto," Tsunade's voice barked over the system, "What-"

"Barrier Lockdown," a voice came over the system as an alarm blared, and lights flashed around the training arena. "Emergency incoming."

Naruto called over his shoulder to his clones and Neji. "Protect Sakura and Kankurō," he shouted over the blaring wail of the alarms.

Neji nodded to Naruto and took another step toward Sakura, whose eyes were darting around, calculatingly. She felt a static sizzle whisper over her skin, and she edged back toward Kankurō protectively. "What's happening," she asked, battle ready.

"Barrier Corps just sealed the arena," Neji said quickly. "No one can flash in or out of here except whoever or whatever is about to show up."

"What do you mean?" Sakura started to ask, but the ground began to shake.

"Tenten – take Team Eight and go to the visiting Hokage box and protect the occupants," Tsunade's voice barked over the loudspeaker.

Tenten looked to Hinata. "We can teleport to the box," she explained as Kiba and Shino disappeared. It's just the arena that has been closed. Hinata nodded and disappeared to arrive with her team and Tenten in the visiting Hokage box. There, fingers steepled under his chin, and looking completely unphased, was the previous Hokage, Master Sarutobi.

Hinata immediately went to his side. "Master Sarutobi, are you alright?"

"I am fine," he assured her gently. He looked down to the training arena. "It seems that there are more surprises to come today."

They all turned to focus on the arena where the ground seemed to be vibrating wildly, and Naruto, Gaara, Temari, Kankurō, Neji, and Sakura were at the ready.

A large puff of smoke, and a giant serpent appeared, mouth open, fangs glittering, head reared and poised to strike. Several shinobi clung to the snake, turning to attack the team in the arena

"What is happening," Hinata asked, her Byakugan activated.

"The summons is one of ours," Shino said. "Why, you ask? Because it was able transport into the arena. The barrier corps allowed it to enter, but blocked all entrance to or from the training ground. That is because, this protocol is in place in case one of our agents needs to teleport home during a fight."

"Like right now," Kiba growled, his eyes following the action.

"But who are they?" Hinata asked again, indicating the shinobi racing to attack her friends. She

"Probably missing-nin," Tenten fiddled with the pouch of weapons at her hip. There were about 15 men swarming toward their friends even as they could stand and do nothing.

Several missing-nin shinobi that had been clinging to the snake now jumped to avoid its strikes, and turned to charge the other opponents in the arena instead.

If they had known what was waiting for them, they would have taken their chances with the snake.

Temari immediately leapt forward creating a vortex with her fan, into which Gaara poured his sand confusing and blinding his opponents. Sakura was suddenly leaping above and hurling kunai at the intruders, who dropped one by one. One managed to spit off a water jutsu, dampening the sand, before flinging his own weapon straight for her heart. At the last instant, she was yanked away before pummeling the man with a mighty blow. Suddenly she was back by Kankurō's side, who grimaced as he tried to keep his concentration while controlling Sakura like one of his puppets.

"Stay back," Gaara ordered her, and she positioned herself protectively in front of Kankurō as Neji deflected a barrage of weaponry. Naruto's clones came rushing in under the cover of the sand and took down several of the opponents easily. The snake suddenly vanished, the air cleared, and the missing-nin were already huddled and gathered up and surrounded by a barrier of sand. Standing there, bedraggled and dirtied, Anko was holding Ranka, who was bloodied and unconscious with his arm around her shoulders. Blood was dripping down her arm and from a gash in her forehead.

Naruto rushed forward and so did Sakura, one of the clones just managing to catch Anko before she dropped both her and Ranka to the ground. Two clones supported Ranka while the third nervously held the bloodied Jōnin.

Sakura held a hand over the woman, nervously. "She's badly injured," she said quietly. "We need to get them both to the hospital immediately."

She felt the sizzle of electricity pass over her skin once again. "The barrier corps released the block," Naruto explained as Shizune and Tsunade appeared next to them.

"Get them immediately to the infirmary," Tsunade said as Shizune moved to help Anko and Neji to help Ranka.

Anko looked up at her, blinking away the blood that was stinging her eye. "Kabuto…Or-orochimaru," she gasped out. "He-He's back."

With that, she plummeted into an unconscious state, leaving those around her to stare at one another.

"It can't be," Tsunade whispered, eyes wide.

"The infirmary," Shizune said to Neji, "Quickly!" The two of them disappeared with Naruto's clones and the fallen shinobi.

Tsunade shook her head. "Sakura. With me," she instructed. "Forgive me, Kazekage," she nodded to Gaara, "we shall have to continue this exercise another time. Naruto," she looked to him. "Send Kakashi to me immediately. Have Tenten and Team Eight transport the prisoners to Ibiki, then send Hinata to me. Team Seven is to remain on call, but away from the infirmary," she said firmly making sure Naruto understood her expression. He nodded and he and his clones all disappeared.

Tsunade looked to Temari and Kankurō. "I want both of you to report back to the infirmary so we can make sure you haven't strained yourselves during this exercise."

"I shall stay until this is sorted out," Gaara told Tsunade, and she nodded, gratefully.

"Arigatou," she said before she nodded to Sakura and flicked out of sight.

Gaara reached for Sakura and put two hands on her shoulders. "Be careful," he said firmly. She nodded and followed after her mentor, leaving the Sand Siblings to stare at each other grimly.

Gaara took in the slump coming to his brother's shoulders. "I'm taking you to the infirmary," Gaara said, putting an arm out to support Kankurō." He looked over to Temari. "Check in with Nara and then come directly to us." He was gone before she could even reply. She looked up to where she knew he would be standing, watching at the window. He was definitely going to have words for her.

"Troublesome," she muttered.

* * *

Naruto's clone appeared in the visiting Kage box, but Hinata was already gone. "Where is she?" he asked, looking around the room. "Tsunade needs her."

"I sent her ahead with my medical-nin," Master Sarutobi spoke up. "Yori will assist if needed."

The Naruto clone nodded. "Good to see you, Master Sarutobi," he said, before rubbing the back of his head, "Even given the circumstances." With that he poofed out of existence.

Naruto himself appeared before Kakashi. "Baachan wants you," he said quietly. "The rest of Team Seven is to stay on call and away from the infirmary."

Sai nodded, Kakashi slid a glance to Sasuke, and Sasuke didn't say a damned thing.

Sasuke had recognized the summoned snake about 0.2 nanoseconds after it appeared. He had reflexively tried to flicker into the area, but Kakashi reached out to stop him. "Don't," he said harshly. "You'll be transported to a detention area, and we won't be able to get to you without the barrier corps releasing you specifically."

Sasuke knew he was right, but that didn't make it any easier. He balled his hands into fists and watched with his heart racing and Sharingan blaring as the ragtag bag of shinobi – he pegged them as missing-nin – went racing toward Naruto, Gaara, and Sakura.

Where moments before he had wanted to run his chidori straight through the Kazekage, he was momentarily bone achingly grateful the man was protecting Sakura. The Suna team moved with seamless coordination, and the attackers were soon dealt with.

"They must have inadvertently been transported with the summons," Sai said, looking over the now-empty battlefield. "Their numbers were too small to be an invasion."

"Hn," Sasuke managed.

"I'm guessing Lady Tsunade wants me to discuss the remaining two members of Anko's team," he said finally. "Sasuke, did you recognize that summons?"

Sasuke nodded sharply. "Ah."

"Can you call that summons?"

Sasuke frowned.

"Possibly."

"Try it. The summons might be able to help us pinpoint where Anko was being held. Naruto – help him in any way you can."

Both men nodded to their captain.

"Sai," Kakashi looked over to him. "Lady Tsunade was going to call in Shino and Hinata to identify the missing Hyūga and Aburame from Anko's team. I want you to be there for that; something about this isn't adding up."

'"Hai."

"Move out," Kakashi instructed before he disappeared.

Sai soon followed, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone.

Sasuke would be the first to call Naruto an idiot any day of the week, but he was an oddly perceptive idiot. One glance at his longtime friend and he knew Naruto was seeing everything behind his expressionless demeanor.

"Where do you want to go to contact your summons?" Naruto asked levelly.

"Zeroth Training Ground," Sasuke met his gaze. "Easiest place to contact multiple summons."

"Got it," Naruto nodded. He made a couple of clones. "Let's go."

"What are those for?" Sasuke jerked his head toward the extra Narutos that were now leaving the room.

"To keep an eye on things here," Naruto said off-handedly. "Baachan never said my clones had to stay away from the infirmary," he reasoned.

Sasuke gave a slight "Hn." He knew that Naruto was just as concerned for their comrades as anyone was, but this was partly to make him feel better. He looked over at Naruto. He was a good friend.

Naruto looked over at him. "I know," he said with a cocky smile. "Beat you there."

* * *

Hinata and Master Sarutobi's medic-nin Yori made haste to the infirmary, arriving shortly after Shizune and Neji. Hinata discarded her flack vest and put one of the white doctor coats over her field gear, pulled back her hair, and washed her hands with a practiced and lightning-fast efficiency. Shizune looked up at her and gave her a halfhearted smile.

"Congrats on your promotion," she nodded to the white jacket.

Hinata returned the small smile as she moved to help Shizune get Anko out of as much of her bloodied clothing as possible to better assess her injuries. Two medic-nins were doing the same to Ranka, who was still unconscious. A nurse stood nearby taking Anko's coat and belongings as the two women relieved her of them. Shizune cast a leery eye over the array of syringes and the vial of sedative that had been stashed on her person.

"They must have been held in a medical facility," she mumbled. Hinata activated her Byakugan as she worked.

"Neji," she asked over her shoulder. "Any chakra disturbances in Ranka?"

Neji was watching Yori and another medic nin as they moved to quickly stabilize the injured shinobi.

"Low chakra," Neji replied. "Possible disruption of flow; hard to tell with so little running in his system. Looks like he is still drugged."

"You can go, Neji," Shizune said as she began to cut away Anko's shirt while Hinata cleaned and bandaged the wound on her head. "Thank you."

Neji bowed and disappeared, more than happy to be gone from this particular scene.

Tsunade and Sakura entered the room, and the blond woman immediately began assessing the patients.

"Anko is in a more stable condition," she pronounced. "Sakura, you and Hinata get her pulled together. Remember – she has a high resistance to all medicines, and will need to be dosed more heavily. Hinata, monitor her chakra, and occasionally use that 360 vision of yours to make sure Ranka is stable. Shizune – with me to Ranka. Both patients will need fluids and blood."

The teams re-divided, and Sakura immediately began inspecting her patient. She saw the three black commas at the back of the woman's neck.

"That's.." she gasped.

"The Cursed Seal of Heaven," Tsunade said as she tended to Ranka. "You know it from your research with Chiyo. Anko is the first person in recent history to have survived it."

"There were others?" Sakura asked, rubbing a gloved finger over the mark.

"Yes," Tsunade said, ending that conversation. "Hinata, make sure you monitor the chakra flow around that point. Be on the look out for any abnormalities."

"Hai," she said as she attached the IV to Anko.

She worked quickly and quietly, but her mind was racing. Tokuma had come to her before he left on his last mission with an oddly specific request.

_"__I have an assignment with an ASF team," he said casually. "Scouting mission. I need to list you as an emergency contact."_

_She had nodded. "Are you sure you don't want Neji?" she asked. "He and father liaise with the ASF and are much more familiar with it."_

_Tokuma had shaken his head. "Not this time, Lady Hinata," he had said slowly. "This time, it needs to be the clan-mother._

_She nodded again, "Of course, if you need my help I am happy to give it, but why the clan-mother specifically?"_

_He pinned her with a very specific look. "Because of the seal."_

"Lady Tsunade," she asked quietly. "Weren't there four members on Anko's team?"

Tsunade paused in her work, her back rigid.

"Hai," she finally said.

"Where are the other two?" Hinata asked. The room fell silent as the other two doctors worked with eyes shifted to their partners and then to each other.

"We aren't sure," Lady Tsunade said in a carefully controlled voice. "When we get these two stabilized, I will need and Shino to come with me."

"Why?"

The question was a quiet demand for an explanation; one of the few times Sakura saw the Clan-Mother standing in place of her friend. Tsunade must have heard it, too, because it was with a far less authoritative tone than usual that she replied:

"Because I want to make sure that they aren't in our morgue."

* * *

Kabuto sliced a glowing green palm through the man, unceremoniously. The rogue-nin dropped to the floor in a heap with less than a gurgle of protest, his eyes staring blindly up at the cool, dark ceiling of the underground lair.

"Was that necessary?" a voice asked him coolly.

Kabuto turned to face Rokuro, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Just tying up some loose ends," he said with a shrug. "You never know when it will be good to have a body or two around."

Rokuro looked down the bloodied hall, and the carnage that had been wrought within it. "Sloppy," he grunted, folding his arms over his chest.

"Perhaps," Kabuto continued with his unaffected smile. "But the few shinobi that were inadvertently transported with Anko were recently acquired, and they have no information worth sharing. And these men," he looked down to the pile of corpses at his feet, "had outlived their usefulness. Shame about my lab assistants, though," he sighed. "I could use the help and they are harder to replace."

Rokuro made some sound of disgust. "Clearly you weren't that worried when you let them underdose that woman," he said bitingly. "You practically signed their death warrants."

"Sacrifices have to be made," Kabuto said with a sad sigh.

"Just make sure those 'sacrifices' aren't synonymous with a betrayal," Rokuro warned him menacingly.

Kabuto let out an eerily lighthearted laugh. "Still don't trust me?" he asked.

"I'm not that stupid."

"Indeed, you are not," Kabuto agreed. "Which is why we continue to coexist peaceably while we each further our own agendas. Isn't that right, _Rokuro_?"

Rokuro stared at the man calculatingly.

"Clean up this mess," he finally said, turning to walk back to his quarters. "Madara doesn't have time for your folly, and neither do I."

Kabuto watched the man disappear down the hall with a wicked grin.

"We'll see what is 'folly' soon enough," he murmured his promise to the retreating man's back. "With the spies in place, it won't be long now. Lord Orochimaru will return, and then we shall see what further sacrifices will have to be made."

He looked down and absently toed the cooling body of the dead man at his feet. "Let's see what use you can be to me," he said with a sadistic cheerfulness worthy of the frozen look of horror etched on the man's face by death. "After all," he looked around the blood-splattered walls and the floor littered with the carnage of battle, "we all have to do our part."

* * *

_******A/N: It was close, friends. I almost killed off a character. Again. Whose turn was it to watch me?!**_

_******I will probably have to touch back and edit this again; but I am feeling impatient and updating right now. Anyone have a good Beta they want to recommend?**_

_**Special thanks to the support I've seen coming across the review page! This story is fun to write, and I am glad that it is being read. **_

_**Also, this particular chapter was just not coming together for me. All of those flashbacks; I actually write them out in their entirety, and then only put what I need into the story. This means that there are whole conversations between Sasuke and Itachi that have been written but aren't in the story yet; it takes time.**_

_**Or it takes a village - I can't remember which...**_

_**It finally started to weave together after I took out what eventually became Chapter Seven. I hope you will forgive the delay. **_

_**I am so grateful for the continued support and encouragement while I hash this out. Lots more to come, so please, as they said in the old days, "Stay tuned!"**_

_**With sincere gratitude, **_

_**Giada**_


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